‘I don’t like talking about my struggles because I find them quite small in comparison to what I have seen happening to the people in my country.’
‘I don’t think pursuing your dreams is a struggle.’
Key Points
- ‘I have been fortunate with the roles that I’ve got in Bollywood. People have trusted me with their films, and I feel a lot of gratitude for that.’
- ‘As an artist, the world that we live in should make us curious.’
You have probably seen him and liked his performance in indie films or OTT shows.
Shardul Bharadwaj finally steps into a mainstream role that matches his talent and puts him in the well-deserved limelight.
In Suresh Triveni’s Maa Behen, he plays a good-for-nothing husband to Triptii Dimri’s quietly suffering Jaya.
The film is headlined by three feisty women, but Shardul owns his space and leaves an impact with ease.
“I like to work with people I can work with. Whether it’s indie or so-called studio-backed projects, it’s the same for me,” Shardul tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff.
How has Maa Behen changed things for you?
I am grateful to be doing what I am doing. I know it sounds like a cliche, but yeah, that’s mostly the feeling.
I’ve not really read reviews, maybe I would read them a little later. I’m just seeing whatever people are sending me. I’m hearing from friends, family and colleagues about what they feel. Mostly it’s been very nice.
You watched the film with your mother at a screening. What did she think of your performance?
My mother was happy. She has seen me doing comedy on stage, and things like Eeb Allay Ooo!, so her, my brother, my sister, they sort of know my ballpark of that. But of course, being with Madhuriji (Dixit), Triptii (Dimri), Ravi (Kishan) sir, Dharna (Durga), it was quite a moment.
This film is more mainstream than some of your earlier work. Was that a conscious choice?
No, not at all. I’ve been doing films, mainstream and whatever.
I have always wanted to work with (Director) Suresh Triveni, and was told that he also wanted to work with me. So, it was a match made in heaven. Plus, a script written by Pooja (Tolani).
It was no conscious step towards doing a more mainstream cinema. It was just good fortune on my part.
Do you think this film has helped you reach a wider audience?
No. See, the thing is that I have never wanted anything to change.
I have been fortunate with the roles that I’ve got in Bollywood. People have trusted me with their films, and I feel a lot of gratitude for that.
I don’t think I ever felt ‘Oh, I have arrived’ or this particular film will change things for me. I have been working in the industry for a while now, and I’ve been working throughout.
To reach a wider audience does make you feel better. For example, Maharani 4 gave me a certain kind of audience.
I really like when I do smaller films, by smaller, I mean in terms of non-studio budget. I do them more. I think I come from that world. It is important to give a wider audience to those films also.
Your performances often carry a sense of lived-in authenticity as seen in Eeb Allay Ooo! or Unpaused or Kuttey. Do you build detailed backstories for your characters, or rely more on the script and director’s vision?
It differs from film to film. There cannot be one process for all films because scripts are different. They are written in different genres, they have a different world.
It’s quite simple, although hard to do, but very simple.
The costumes are also very important. Once you wear it, it’s very welcoming. And then the shoe, the shoe is very particular.
In that regard, Veera Kapur, who was our costume designer (Maa Behen), should be given credit.
The film has a standout scene where Triptii Dimri’s character angrily confronts you. What went into that moment, and what do you remember from filming it?
A lot of things in there are improvised by Triptii and me. A scene like that is so raw.
When we were workshopping, we did that scene a number of times under Pooja and Suresh’s supervision. You can do improvisation in such a scene because you have a set structure, and then you let yourself fly within it. But you need to have that structure.
The structure there is, Manas (Shardul’s character in Maa Behen) doesn’t want to look like a fool, right? He has an inflated sense of ego. The moment he is thrown out of the house, he becomes aware of others’ eyes on him.
It’s a different mechanism, in a way, because he is embarrassed. He is smiling; he is saying ‘cool down’ to her.
We had rehearsed the scene by workshopping quite often, but while rehearsing that scene, the crux of the matter was that how do we discover Manas because he is not leading the scene, you see, he is only reacting.
There are three parts to the scene, one is inside the house, second is outside the house, third is outside the gate. And he behaves differently in each moment.
A scene like that, of course, cannot happen without Triptii being open and flexible and really, really wonderful as a co-actor. If you look at it very carefully, the way it’s plotted, it’s not like she is on a rampage.
When you have a monologue, sometimes actors stop reacting to the other actor, but she is reacting quite beautifully to what I’m saying, and that’s why I need to be able to react to what she is saying.
I can’t remember how many takes we did, but I really had a great time doing that scene.
Watch the scene here:
As an FTII graduate, what’s the one thing about surviving as an actor in Mumbai that no one teaches you in film school?
I don’t like talking about my struggles because I find them quite small in comparison to what I have seen happening to the people in my country.
I don’t think pursuing your dreams is a struggle.
I like to work with people I can work with. Whether it’s indie or so-called studio-backed projects, it’s the same for me. I only like to work with good people because scripts come and go.
Being named among the BAFTA Breakthrough Talents in 2023 was a major recognition for you. Did it change how the industry viewed you?
That induction has been very, very kind. My senior actors have talked about me, and spoken about me in rooms that I have not been in. Maybe that’s how I got work.
I really don’t think planning is part of my life. I don’t even know what I’m doing next.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you have received from someone in the industry?
Somebody once told me, ‘read the newspaper’.
As an artist, the world that we live in should make us curious.
I can’t stress it enough.
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Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
