‘No competition in a creative field’

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As a Bollywood star who has given some of the biggest hits like 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti, Golmaal and Life In A... Metro, Sharman Joshi does not have any starry airs. Dressed casually in his comfort wear — jeans and a pink T-shirt — he can make one instantly comfortable with his hearty smile and a matter-of-fact attitude.

His last film as solo lead, Ferrari ki Sawaari managed to do fair business at the box office and drew appreciation for his role from all quarters.
The actor is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, War Chhod Na Yaar, being touted as the first war comedy in Indian cinema. He was in the capital to launch — Hunger to Hope Kitchen for Yum! restaurant.
“My upcoming film looks at the casual relationship of Indian and Pakistani soldiers at the border and how they engage in light banter and conversations at the time of peace. And thereafter, when the war breaks out how they can together evade or not evade the war. I play the role of an Indian army captain and Soha plays the role of a journalist out to cover the war,” reveals Sharman.
The film also stars Javed Jafri and Sanjay Mishra and is set to release next month. This will be followed by Gang of Ghosts by Satish Kaushik that has been adapted from a popular Bengali film, Bhooter Bhobishyot. And thereafter he will be seen in a comedy and social drama Super Naani, based on a Gujarati play, that co-stars Rekha and explores the relation between a grandmother and her grandson.
Most of Sharman’s biggest hits have been multi-starrers or have had an ensemble cast. Is he comfortable with the idea of sharing screen space with other actors? “My primary criterion for choosing a film is that the script has to be entertaining and interesting. Thereafter, I look for my role and scope. As a part of an ensemble cast, each of us understands that we are working in tandem to produce a homogenous product. Each of us has been assigned certain a part and need to deliver it with complete honesty. In a creative field, there is no competition, I believe,” shares the 34-year-old actor.
Having spent around eight years in theatre, before he got to do his first movie, Godmother, in which he had a small role as Shabana Azmi’s son, doesn’t he at times crave for the stage? “Theatre is demanding and requires lot of time and energy. With the kind of schedule we have in Bollywood, it is not possible to give much time to stage. However, I miss seeing the instant reactions of the live audience in theatres,” he admits. But theatre has helped him bag some of his best roles. “For the role of Sukhi in RDB, it was a Haryanvi friend from theatre who helped me get the accent and body language right. Thankfully, Rakeysh loved my act in the audition and offered me the role then and there,” he adds.
Sharman is also keen to do interesting fiction work on television, as he feels the content on it is fast changing and he is looking forward to the show 24.
And apart from work, what keeps him busy? “I have a full house with three kids. I have a eight-year-old daughter and twin sons who are four years old. My life revolves around them,” he finishes.