He might have got recognition with the web show The Family Man (TFM) but actor Sharib Hashmi has a deep-rooted passion for theatre. He recently announced that he will be collaborating with TFM co-star Sunny Hinduja for a play. Keeping most of the details under wrap as they are working out the finer details, Hashmi reveals that it will be a two-man play and that both of them will be involved in all aspects of the play.

The 48-year-old is quite “excited and nervous” to be returning to theatre. He adds, “Actors move from theatre to films, but I am working in reverse. I don’t have any theatre training but Gopal (Dutt; co-star Filmistaan; 2012) used to tell me, ‘Tu theatre ka banda hai’. When he was in a play, he gave me two roles in it. There is a sense of freedom in theatre as it is an actor’s medium; there is a different satisfaction. Yet cinema is my first love,” he quips.

Recognised as a ‘character actor’, ask if the label bothers him and he replies, “If I’m happy with my work, then I don’t care about labels. These aren’t terms created by the industry, it’s the laymen who use it. When I meet someone and they tell me, ‘Aapne bahut acha kaam kiya tha us film mein jisme aap side mein the’. I don’t feel bad. The genuineness of their love is enough. It was my most difficult and best decision to leave my job and pursue acting. I struggled a lot, but it all paid off eventually.”

The Tarla (2023) and Asur actor admits that being a supporting actor has brought a bit of judgement against him in public eye. He recalls, “I have faced tough times. After Filmistaan, when I was having a dull phase in career, main screenings pe jaata tha aur log poochte bhi nahi the mujhe. Main aise hi guzar jata tha aur koi tasveerein nahi kheechi jati thi.”

Yet, he doesn’t get bogged down by them. “I don’t take them to heart because nothing remains constant.”