The actor plays a journalist in the film which also features Hollywood actors Stephen Baldwin and Shari Rigby
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 20, 2019)

Sharman Joshi is playing a reporter in his next, The Least Of These: The Graham Staines Story, which dates back to 1999 when an Australian missionary known for his charitable work with lepers in Odisha was burnt alive allegedly by Bajrang Dal fundamentalists. According to locals, it was because they believed he was luring his Hindu patients into Christianity. Along with Staines, his two sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6), were also charred to death while they were asleep in their station wagon at Manoharpur village on the night of January 23.

Talking about the film in which he is asked to launch an undercover investigation into the missionary’s activities, Sharman says that Staines’ story is relevant today, when tolerance is the need of the hour. “What happened was tragic,” he adds.

In 2003, Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, Staines’ widow, Gladys, forgave him, hoping he would repent and reform. She had continued to live in India, caring for leprosy patients until 2004 when she returned to Australia. The following year, she was awarded the Padma Shri.

Sharman admits that he didn’t have a reference point for his character. “But human emotions are the same all over the world and depicting them on screen is always a challenge. I was very young when the incident took place but I remember I was moved by it and wondered why it happened. While working on the film, the mystery unravelled for me, like it did for my character,” he explains.

The film has been shot in Hyderabad, Odisha and a small valley in Andhra Pradesh. The American-Indian production, directed by Aneesh Daniel, also features Hollywood actors Stephen Baldwin and Shari Rigby. “I had’t worked with mainstream American actors apart from Alice Patten in Rang De Basanti, before this. It was a delight to work with Stephen and Shari. We were not sure what to expect as actors from both ends, but Stephen and I exchanged notes, because it was a different world for him shooting in India,” admits Sharman.

His next project is also an Indo-American venture. “We’ll shoot the film in Pondicherry,” he shares, adding, “We’ve also bought the rights of this West End production, The Play That Goes Wrong, and it’s currently showing all over.” 

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 15, 2015)

Sharman Joshi, who played Rekha's dutiful grandson in Super Nani, will be now seen in a Hollywood film, The Journalist. Based on the Graham Staines murder case, the film has Sharman playing an investigative journalist. Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwin plays Graham, the Australian missionary, who, along with his two sons, Philip and Timothy, was burnt to death by rioters in Odisha in 1999.

"The story interested me because of its dramatic theme. It's one of the most challenging characters I have played. It was a 75-day schedule, which we shot in parts, beginning January," says Sharman, who wrapped up the film last month. "My character is fictionalised but it's really interesting."

Directed by debutant Aneesh Daniel, The Journalist, has been shot near Hyderabad. The incident happened in the Monoharpur village of Odisha. "But we decided to shoot the film on the outskirts of Hyderabad since Aneesh is based here," Sharman said. "We recreated the village and also shot certain portions in Visakhapatnam's Araku Valley and some in Baripada, at the real missionary school that was run by Graham Staines," he adds.

Did preparing for the part involve a lot of research, since the film is inspired by real life events? "I have a few journalist friends so I have some insight into their lives. I didn't have to do much. The script was so well-written that I hardly had to do any research of my own," he reveals, adding, "There is much to learn from the film about the way our society functions, the way we want India to progress and whether it's the right way forward."

Sharman is all praises for his costar Stephen, who has been a part of some popular Hollywood films like The Usual Suspects and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, saying that he admires the 49-year-old actor's work. "It wasn't really a Hollywood experience, as, except a few actors, the entire cast and crew was Indian. But it was fantastic working with Stephen."