With their crowd-drawing prowess and sculpted bodies, the Khans and Kumars of Bollywood fight until their fifties. The Bollywood ageist might not be so nice to his women, but it seems that the lifespan of male actors is quite long.
Veteran actor Sharat Saxena, however, refuses to accept this. The actor, who has been a constant in Hindi films for decades, says the industry spits you out as soon as you show the first sign of aging. “Jahaan aap budhe lagne lage, you are excluded from the film industry,” the actor who played a leading role in Sherni told indianexpress.com in an interview.
He called being an actor hard work because that’s what you work for, 365 days a year. “An actor, and I’m talking about the heroes / protagonists, they have the toughest job in the world. They have to look young, they have to look strong and they have to do it 365 days a year, which is not possible. This is not normal. In fact, in all other professions you get a break. For example, an athlete has to prepare for, say, two months. He competes, goes home, rests and gains weight. But a Hindi movie star has to look and be fit all year round. He has to train every day, yet party every day. He has to do everything every day and survive, ”said Sharat.
Speaking of himself, he added, “I do the same. I don’t party but I train every day. I’m 71 but I have to try to look like I’m 45. It’s like that. As soon as you start to look old, you are left out of the film industry. It is an industry of young people. Everyone must be young. You are old or not, it doesn’t matter. You have to look young. It’s a crime to be an old man here, ”the actor concluded.
Sharat Saxena has appeared in over 300 films during his career. Some of his popular films include Mr India, Agneepath, Tridev, Baabul, Ready, Bodyguard, and the Tamil film Vivegam, among others. Recently he starred in Sherni, a director by Amit Masurkar, which stars Vidya Balan in the lead role.
In Sherni, Sharat Saxena plays a hunter named Ranjan Rajhans aka Pintu Bhaiyya. His on-screen presence and physical transformation received praise from audiences as well as critics. Speaking about how he landed the role, Sharat said: “This opportunity came to me out of the blue.”
“I liked my character. He was a powerful character and the second most important character in the film. I wanted to work in the film. It was the most unusual scenario I have come across, “he said, adding that Amit Masurkar” is the kind of director who will become increasingly popular in the industry now. “
Sherni is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
