It’s been a lonely journey: Sharman Joshi

Actor Sharman Joshi says Bollywood is a cruel place where you have to struggle hard to make people take you seriously.

MUMBAI:

He is not a stranger to filmdom, considering his father-in-law is veteran artist Prem Chopra and his sister Mansi Joshi is an actress and is married to actor-filmmaker Rohit Roy. But Sharman Joshi says connections don’t work in showbiz and everyone has to prove his or her mettle to get recognition.

“You are at the mercy of people. No connections really help here (filmdom). You have to prove yourself because no one can fight the battle for you. It has been a lonely journey,” Sharman Joshi told IANS.

After having been part of the industry for 13 years and having worked in 19 films, Sharman says there is no particular formula to succeed in showbiz. “There are no rules for the success of any film and that’s the beauty of cinema and art,” he said, adding that there are no norms “as long as you are convinced about the script”.

Though he proved his mettle in films like Life... In A Metro, Rang De Basanti, Golmaal and Three Idiots, all these films had an ensemble cast.

For the first time, the responsibility of carrying a film on his shoulders alone came with Ferrari Ki Sawari. If the film’s subject was typical, there was no female lead either. Besides, that it was Rajesh Mapuskar’s first directorial venture. The only frill attached to the film was Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who produced it.

But Sharman has triumphed at the box office as the INR100 million film earned about INR 140 million in the first three days after its release and is managing to keep the cash registers ringing. Audiences liked his performance, the concept and the presentation.

Overwhelmed with the encouraging response, the 33-year-old says that people within the industry reacted positively as well. “The industry has responded exceptionally well. From Amitabh Bachchan to Sanjay Dutt to Anil Kapoor — they have really liked the film. I have recieved a wonderful response so far and it’s a wonderful feeling,” Sharman said.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2012.