Sharad Kelkar is known for his negative roles in Lai Bhaari (2014) and Bhoomi (2017). He also dubbed for the male leads in the Hindi versions of Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017). The actor is now glad to have at last bagged a positive and not so larger-than life role in Dnyanesh Zoting’s Marathi movie Raakshas.
Speaking at the film's trailer launch, he said, “Maybe because of my height or voice people feel I should do a negative or strong character. But as an actor, I like doing different types of roles. People either get typecast or they are made so. I don’t believe in it though. People have this perception that Sharad Kelkar is like Sangram of Lai Bhaari or Mahendra Baahubali. But that is certainly not the case in Raakshas. The script itself is beautiful.”
He added that he latched onto the script once he realized his character would be way different from what he is known for.
He plays Avinash, a father who is kidnapped in a jungle. “The credit goes to Dnyanesh that he saw Avinash in me. Producers Vivek (Kajaria) and Nilesh (Navalakha) asked if I would like to play the character. I realized that as an actor this would be very challenging for me because I don’t have to look or talk like I do. Slowly, I realized how straightforward a director he is. He is the actual raaskshas (devil),” he laughed.
Kelkar is happy with how the audience remembers his contribution in the Hindi version of the Baahubali films. “I am not seen in Baahubali. But still I got a lot of love from the audience. This is an example that it doesn’t matter if you have done something on screen. Today, people know me world over due to my voice. That’s why the script holds a lot of importance for me,” he added.
Raakshas is all set to be released on 23 February.