After being hospitalized in critical condition recently at a hospital in West Bengal, reportedly after suffering an insect bite, actor Rajesh Sharma is now on the road to recovery. However, the ordeal has left him traumatized. The actor, known for films such as Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), Ishqiya (2010) and Special 26 (2013), was shooting for actor Prabhas’ upcoming film in Hyderabad when the incident occurred.

Speaking to us, he shares, “I am much better now. Aaj se 10-12 din pehle meri halat bahut hi zyada kharab thi.”

Recalling the initial symptoms, the 56-year-old reveals he still isn’t sure what triggered the condition. “When I reached home after my shoot, I noticed that mera pair uth hi nahin raha tha, aur swelling bhi thi, along with body temperature. I am not sure what led to this condition of mine. I still wonder whether it was an insect bite or something wrong that I ate,” he says.

Despite his worsening condition, the actor initially tried to honour his work commitments and went to a hospital only when his condition worsened. He shares, “The medicos told me that my sugar had gone up and the infection had increased. They said, ‘Yeh gangrene ki taraf jaa raha hai. Agar remove nahin kiya toh paon katna padh jayega.’ Fortunately, the infection had not reached the bone; and was successfully removed through surgery.”

The experience, Sharma says, has left him with an important lesson: “Beparwah nahin hona chahiye apni sehat ko lekar kabhi bhi. Koi unhoni ho sakti thhi with me but thankfully I am safe.”

Rajesh Sharma, who is known for his performances in films such as Special 26, Batla House and Super 30, has fond memories of working with Sushant Singh Rajput in two prominent films — Shuddh Desi Romance and M S Dhoni - The Untold Story.

Recalling his memories of interacting with SSR on the sets of the former film, Sharma says, “During Shuddh Desi Romance, I had just two days of shoot with Sushant and Rishi Kapoor in Jaipur. In those two days, Sushant didn’t open up much with me. He came across as an introvert. A few years later when we met on the sets of Dhoni where we really bonded.”

Talking further about his experience on the sets of Dhoni, he adds, “On screen, I played his coach, but off screen, we were friends. We were staying in the same hotel and during the 14 days of shooting, we bonded well. We would have breakfast together every morning. Sushant ko kebab bade pasand the. Every evening, he used to call me and say, ‘Sir neeche aajaiye, kebab khaate hai’. So, Sushant, Anupam Kher and I would sit and have kebabs together.”

He continues, “Sushant was also very fond of football. Since I have spent a lot of time in Kolkata, he would discuss the football scene in West Bengal with me. He had a lot of knowledge about the sport, which was commendable. We also discussed a lot about theatre. After every shot, he would come to me and ask about his performance and even take my suggestions. After this film, there was one more film that we were supposed to do together. I was really looking forward to that, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.”

Rajesh Sharma, who’s been a regular fixture in the director’s recent films, discusses the beginning of their collaboration
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 7, 2019)

After acting in films like Parineeta, Khosla Ka Ghosla and Ishqiya, Rajesh Sharma hit pay dirt for his portrayal of investigating officer NK in Raj Kumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica, which had Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan as leads. For the actor, the fame came as a huge surprise as he had bagged the role quite unexpectedly.

“I was in Delhi for a show as I wasn’t doing a lot of films back then and I got an audition call for a film. I went in without any prep, met Raj Kumar’s assistant and auditioned,” Rajesh reveals, adding that on his first day of the shoot, Raj Kumar told him that he had fought with the producers to get the actor on board as the makers wanted a known face. “It gave me a sense of responsibility and brought the best out of me.”

Soon after, he reunited with the director for the Emraan Hashmi-starrer dark-comedy, Ghanchakkar. “There’s a back-story to my character in the film, which was conceptualised with a different actor as the story demanded someone in the age bracket of 65-70. Raj Kumar eventually got the age down to 45 years and cast. His faith in me is heartening,” the actor smiles.

Next up, Rajesh will pop up in the filmmaker’s Arjun Kapoor-starrer India’s Most Wanted, which chronicles the capture of a dreaded terrorist without a single bullet being fired. “Like many people, even I hadn’t heard of the mission and was surprised to discover that it took place in our country. It’s a stamp on the bravery and efficiency of our police, who are perceived negatively. This film proves that,” he asserts, adding that he plays Rajesh Singh, a senior Intelligence Bureau officer from Bihar in the film. “It’s based on a real-life character, but I’ve approached it in my unique style,” he signs off.