Bollywood and Marathi actor Sharad Kelkar was in Chennai recently, and in an interview with us, the Family Man actor spoke about making his Tamil film debut with the Sivakarthikeyan-starrer Ayalaan, communicating effortlessly on the set despite not knowing the language, his connection with Tamil, his thoughts on OTT and cinema, and the next season of his popular OTT show. Excerpts:

My first meeting with Ravikumar was very pleasant. When I asked director R Ravikumar why he wanted me — someone with no connection to the Tamil film industry — for the role — he said, “I have seen your work and I feel like this character is for you.” He was quite sure about me playing the role. I was surprised, but I was also very convinced with the conviction he had. Working on this film has been great, as it was a different process altogether.

I don’t speak Tamil, and Ravikumar speaks mostly Tamil. I don’t know how, but somehow, we communicated with each other so effortlessly and fluently, it was amazing. It’s probably because of our love for cinema and how passionate we both were about the project that language wasn’t a barrier for us. To me, cinema doesn’t have any language and this was proved on the sets of our film.

This film is very different with a unique format. It’s sci-fi, and it felt like we were working on the sets of a Hollywood movie. We had to have new techniques, because essentially you are fighting things that aren’t there, that’s how it is when you are a shadow fighter. This film was a new process for all of us, but we had fun. We were like kids on set, because we didn’t know what it was going to look like. We would keep asking Ravi what it would look like, and he’d say, “Don’t worry, you guys just act!” We would take multiple shots for one scene. It was a hectic shoot, but it was all very interesting, new and fun. There is a different pattern of filmmaking in the Tamil industry and I find it very interesting. And it actually caters to the audience.

My character is the antagonist who wants the alien’s superpower and is set against Sivakarthikeyan’s character, who is friends with the alien. When you are hungry for power and new technology, you get greedy for more, and that’s my character in the film.

I think we need to be smarter as an industry as to what should go on OTT and what shouldn’t. The south film industries have certain unwritten rules and regulations that they follow, and that should be the way to operate, because not everything should be on OTT. The timeline for the release on OTT has to be discussed in the industry and acted upon accordingly. I completely agree with what Ravi Teja had said in an interview... that we are all part of one industry, and we have to work towards that.

The writing for Family Man Season 3 is still happening. They should be done by December and we might start shooting in January. As for the equation between my character Arvind and Suchi (played by Priya Mani), Arvind is a sweet guy, but I don’t know what is in store for them. I don’t think on those lines, I leave it to the writers. The audience has so many theories and the writers are always looking for fresh ideas.

In her 25-year career, Isha Koppikar Narang has been a part of films in varied languages and genres, but there is one role on her check list she has had to wait to tick off—playing an action heroine. With her upcoming Tamil sci-fi film, Ayalaan, also starring Siva Karthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh, the actor has fulfilled her wish.

“I always wanted to be an action heroine. Ayalaan is an action-packed role, where I am playing the antagonist,” says Koppikar of the R Ravikumar directorial venture.

For Koppikar, who began her acting career in the South three years before she made her Bollywood debut in the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Fiza (2000), it’s only heartening to see that films in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada are finally getting their due.

“South [films are] carving a niche for themselves. It has been long overdue. I have always appreciated their craftsmanship and discipline. Of course, after Baahubali, KGF, and Kantara [garnering pan-India recognition], it’s there for the world to see. People have started accepting south films without them being remade in Hindi. They are just dubbed,” she says.

After an initial good run in Hindi films, Koppikar took a decade-long break from Bollywood, starting in 2011. But the actor doesn’t consider slowing down a disadvantage. She believes that it was a necessary move, considering the projects coming her way didn’t inspire her to perform.

“I felt that sometimes I was wasted [as an artiste]. What happened was that people overpromised but underdelivered. I want to help the film as much as I want the film to help me. It has to be symbiotic. That is why I became more selective. After a certain point in your career, you don’t want to do run-of-the-mill films. As an actor, you want to show versatility,” says the actor, adding that it was her hunger for creative parts that led her to Marathi and Telugu films. “I have no regrets,” she asserts.

Having said that, Koppikar is now raring to go as she is impressed with the progressive shift in roles written for women in Bollywood. “There is a lot of fire in my belly. The industry has become progressive as better parts are now being written for women. An actor never dies. If you are talented, you are here to stay,” she says.