Nominated for Best Supporting actor for Selection Day, Rajesh Tailang on sharing his work with son
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; March 8, 2020)

Elated to have been nominated for the Best Supporting Actor (Male) category at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards for Selection Day, Rajesh Tailang tells mid-day, "I have received awards for my role in Delhi Crime, but frankly, the character of Mohan Kumar is closer to my heart."

Having explored several projects that saw him be part of different departments that tackled crime, Tailang says Selection Day offered him a part he hadn't given a go at. "More often than not, I am cast for positive roles, but that gets boring. Characters with shades of grey give an actor more scope to portray [his skills]."

He also took home a lesson or two about parenting. "My character is unlike me. He is passionate about cricket, and ultimately wants what is best for his children. At times, it is important to give kids freedom," says the father to an 11-year-old son. After Delhi Crime and Mirzapur, both of which hinged on violence, Tailang is glad that he could finally show his son his work as an actor. "He was happy that I am not like Mohan, in real life," he laughs.

More About Selection Day 2
- While they did so abundantly on camera, the cast and crew also played cricket in between shots
- The scene that sees Mohan arrive in Mumbai and walk into a stadium is Tailang's most cherished

- Cast Your Vote For The Hitlist Web Awards

- Rajesh Tailang has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Selection
Day 2

The other nominees are:
- Vinay Pathak (Made In Heaven; Amazon Prime)
- Neeraj Madhav (The Family Man; Amazon Prime)
- Sharib Hashmi (The Family Man; Amazon Prime)
- Pankaj Tripathi (Criminal Justice; Hotstar)
- Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub (Rangbaaz Phir Se; Zee5)
- Gopal Dutt (The Office; Hotstar)

- There are 14 categories that the public can vote in. Log on to www.hitlistwebawards.com to cast your vote

- You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c/d as on the website) to 57575

- Voting lines close on March 9

Mahesh Manjrekar talks about playing coach of acricket team in Netflix’s Selection Day
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; December 22, 2018)

Mahesh Manjrekar makes his digital debut in the upcoming Netflix show, Selection Day, based on Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga’s 2016 novel by the same name. Produced by Anil Kapoor, the show revolves around two brothers who are raised by their father to be star cricket players. Manjrekar plays a cricket coach in the drama that has Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajesh Tailang, Yash Dholye and Mohammad Samad as co-stars.

The filmmaker-actor says, “For a change, I am happy to be on the set as an actor only. I am not a method actor. I do what the director tells me. I don’t think too much about every move I have to make on the set.” referring to a director as the conductor of an orchestra where 10 violinists do as they please, he adds, “In such a scenario, they will create noise, not music. Similarly, the director has to contend with different types of actors, and try to make a good film.”

Selection Day, he says, took him back to his roots. “I was a good cricketer. I was told that I could make it to the Mumbai team; playing in the Ranji trophy is a big thing. But I left the game in a fit of anger. I was a rebel and my coach Ramakant Achrekar would only make me bowl, that too with an old ball. He never allowed me to bat. No one could question him. It was the guru-shishya parampara. Irritated, I left the game forever. But then, I was not like his legendary student Sachin Tendulkar, [who was] possessed by the game.”

Manjrekar has not modelled his character on any real- life coach. “The 11 players in the team are the best. What can I teach them at that level? I only have to instill confidence and channelize their emotions.”

He says he would often play cricket on the set, much to the chagrin of the director. “I still love playing cricket,” he says, simply.