Sharad Kelkar Opens Up About Playing Transgender Character Laxmii & The Biggest Compliment He Received
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Actor Sharad Kelkar is winning our hearts since his portal of versatile characters over a period of time. The actor who started 2020 as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Ajay Devgn-Kajol starrer Tanhaji, recently wowed us as a transgender person in the Akshay Kumar-Kiara Advani film, Laxmii.
During an exclusive conversation with the actor, Sharad opened up about auditioning for the role, his prep as well as receiving the most significant compliment from his guru, his wife, Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar. Read on to know exactly what he said.
Talking about the love and appreciation he is receiving for playing the transgender character Laxmii, Sharad Kelkar said, “I think the biggest compliment (I received for playing Laxmii) is that ki having my kind of physicality and voice, no would image (me playing it). First, it was the surprise element of it. Nobody imagined (me in it) so I think that was the biggest victory. When people cannot imagine you in one particular it and you do that, that’s the biggest compliment for an actor.” He added, “If he can’t do it and he does it, it’s the biggest compliment.”
Talking about his family’s reaction to seeing him like Laxmii for the first time, Sharad Kelkar revealed, “I think my wife, Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar (who is also an actress) was damn proud.” Continuing further he added, “She’s damn proud of me, that’s the biggest compliment for me. If she is happy, that’s the biggest thing.” Adding that experience wife she is far more superior to him as an actor, the Tahnaji actor continued, “I can say proudly, I can say honestly that she taught me a lot of things about the basics of acting. So if you guru says your too good then that’s the biggest compliment.”
Talking about his prep for his role as the film, Sharad Kelkar said, “One of the biggest inspiration I had to do it was if Akshay Kumar can do it, we have the same structural and physical struct, so if he can play the part why can’t I.”
Talking about his audition for the role, the Laxmii actor that the director, was not happy with some audition. He said, “When I went on the sets, he first set ‘get ready I’ll see you, how you are looking and how your mannerism are, then I will finalize you. I said ki ‘yeh pehli baar hop raha hai’ (this is happening for the first time. When I got ready he was so happy. He immediately started teaching me. He didn’t wait for me to get on sets and all.”
The actor also added that he spoke to a few transgender who helped him get the emotional essence of the character right. Recalling the moving speech he gave in Laxmii, Sharad said that he spoke to the 100+ transgender people who were present on sets before shooting it. He added that this particular scene will always be close to his heart.
Also, click here to know how the actor plans to spend Diwali.
On the work front, Sharad Kelkar will soon star in web series like The Family Man 2 and Zee5’s Black Widow. Sharad will also feature in the multi-starrer, Bhuj: The Pride Of India.
