Meet ASHISH SHARMA, the television heartthrob who has recently started his production house and is also set to play young Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Umesh Shukla’s directorial biopic flick. In a quick chat with TMM, dynamic Ashish talked about his experiences. Excerpts:
ASHISH SHARMA, How did you bag the role of PM Narendra Modi for the biopic?
I received a call from Umesh sir’s office and when I met him he said he wanted to cast me as young Modi (ji) in his biopic and I was taken aback a little. It was a huge task to pull off and I don’t look like him at all. Umesh sir very clearly told me that I am not looking for a mimicry artist, I want an actor who can take forth the ideology and philosophy honestly and genuinely to the audience.
ASHISH SHARMA, How was the experience of meeting PM’s family and friends? One memorable instance you wish to share.
It was a kind of surreal for me because I was shooting with all the real people, people who actually lived, spent time or interacted with Mr. Modi in his younger days. They had so many stories and anecdotes to share but at the same time, it became difficult for us to shoot because I had to get genuine reactions from those people as they weren’t actors. I had to actually give those street speeches and interactions with so much honesty in order to get them to react, and after a couple of days, a few elderly people came and said, “haan haan ese he bolte they, ese he they…” and that was a huge morale booster.
ASHISH SHARMA, You have come a long way. How has been the experience till date?
In my opinion, I haven’t started yet. With every project, story and character, I start all over again from the beginning. I don’t have to reach anywhere, I just want to enjoy the process and that’s what I’ve been doing, still a lot to learn and a lot to relish.
ASHISH SHARMA, You have started a production house with your wife. What is her role in your successful career graph?
I had envisioned starting my own thing a long time back, even before my marriage. But it was Archana and her wisdom which actually made it happen and today our first film ‘Khejdi’ is travelling around the world and has been loved by the audience globally. Next two projects are ready to roll this year, it’s all her hard work. She is the producer and writer, I am just hanging around because what I can do best is acting and that’s what she lets me do. Today, where I stand is all because of her and her vision. She is there to push me and clear the path ahead for me as well. Her instincts are always effective for me.
If you get to spend a day with PM Modi, what are the skills that you would like to learn?
He has an interesting quality of remembering the names of people he meets. Even after ages he will remember and address you with your name which actually makes a real connection with people that we all as humans love. I would love to know how it is possible for the PM of the largest democracy in the world to be able to remember so many people.
As an actor, you have worked under challenging situations. What inspires you to give the best every time?
It’s the sheer joy of creating something meaningful for the masses and bringing a story to life. Unless you are deeply in love with acting you wouldn’t enjoy the challenges, these challenging situations make the process fun.
One dream project that you want to live and why?
For the longest time, I have been thinking about giving the world a global Indian superhero, inspired by our ancient texts and scriptures but contemporary in look and feel. It’s time we give the world our own global desi superhero.
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