Shekhar Suman says his debut film Utsav was ahead of its time and wants a re-release
Shekhar Suman revisits the films that shaped his career and says Utsav was ahead of its time. He also explained why he has now started a film academy with a modern, experience-based approach to acting.
Shekhar Suman revisits the films that shaped his career and explains why his first film was Celebration Remains ahead of his time. In an exclusive interview, the actor also revealed why he has decided to start a film academy.
talking to India Today About the roles that changed her life, Suman said, “My first film, CelebrationIt was very different from who I am and that character was very different. Anubhav was another film I did with Padmini (Kolhapure). That was also very different from the way I am. Then I have a movie called thieves make noise “I had nine roles in what I did.”
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“I have just done Prakash Raj’s film mandateWhich is very good. I have also done a film called Reporting Life, which is based on sand mafia. Very good roles. So yes, it has completely changed me. And when I was on set, I could feel that this was going to be something memorable.”
Calling, produced by Shashi Kapoor, 1984 release Celebration A film ahead of its time, Suman believes it will strongly impact today’s audiences.
He said, “It should be released today itself. (It should be re-released today). It was far ahead of its time. And today, I think people would really appreciate it – the music, the costumes, the cinematography, etc. the palace that was built (The palace that was built), which was very beautiful. so so beautiful. Rekha looked like a billion bucks.”
The actor also recalled his early days on the sets and the pressure of working with legends: “I have very good memories. I remember the first shot, the first day of shooting, and I was like, I have a lot on my head, and Shashi Kapoor ji had staked so much on me.”
Suman continued, “I was hoping that I wouldn’t disappoint him; it was driving me crazy at that time. But because of my theater background, I was able to hold on. I didn’t let my confidence go down. And then I remember Rekha ji praising me a lot, and Girish Karnad, Shashi Kapoor – ‘It’s very well done, and you are a brilliant actor’ – and all that stayed with me.”
Sharing a personal memory of seeing Rekha before working with her, Suman said that the moment stayed with her. “She was great and I never felt like I was working with someone I’d admired for years as a kid,” he said.
“I remember once I came to Bombay, and I was taken to a shoot. She was shooting with Mr. Shatrughan Sinha, and I was standing in the crowd, just looking at her like that. I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s Rekha, she’s brilliant’. Little did I know that, three-four years later, I would be working with her,” said the actor.
The actor further added, “I was absolutely impressed by her. Not intimidated, but yes, definitely in awe of her. She is extremely dedicated and a powerful performer. When she is in a scene, you feel the character come alive.”
Suman feels re-releases have become a trend Celebration There should be another chance with the audience. He said, “Yes, they should re-release that film. And I wonder—because it was shot in two versions, in English and Hindi—where did the English version go? Nobody knows. It was not released in English. But you know, those films are very rare.”
“And it was thanks to people like Shashi Kapoor, who is a great producer, who believed in a newcomer like me. They talk about nepotism – imagine, they picked me up from somewhere.” The actor moved forward.
Suman said, “Within about two weeks, I had come to Bombay, and after two months, I was shooting with (him). It is unimaginable for a newcomer to come and get such a role. But such is destiny.”
Talking about her film academy, Suman revealed why she decided to start it now. He further added, “There is time for everything. And time decides – we do not decide the time. So, it is destiny. Whenever it is meant to happen, it will happen in a certain period of time.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but now things fell into place. And even though I’m busier than ever, this is the time when I thought, if I don’t do it now, I won’t be able to do it. And I had to do it.” the actor said.
Suman said, “I mean, it’s really affecting my conscience. Why didn’t I do it for so long? So now, it’s the right time. Whenever you start, it’s the right time.”
The actor stressed that the academy will focus on a modern, experience-driven approach to acting.
He said, “Well, it’s something that probably can’t be put into words unless you come here and experience it. But yes, definitely a very new kind of holistic approach, but a very modern approach towards acting, of course, keeping certain elements of how things were taught in the traditional way.”
Suman said, “But I want to teach them, if it is called teaching acting, which I don’t follow, then I can awaken that hidden talent. I think if you have the ability, I can make it better.”
“You can hone your skills. But if you are a non-actor, you can never become an actor. And I will not promise you that. And I will only take actors who have the potential, where I can see that this actor can be groomed. Only those will be given entry. So yes, there are a lot of things – I am going away from completely theoretical things,” the actor said.
Suman had earlier revealed India Today About rejecting the role of Chunni Babu in Devdas. He talked about working with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali Hiramandi Later he removed those regrets and introduced him to the younger audience.
Heeramandi is a Netflix series based on the red-light district of Heera Mandi, Lahore during the Indian independence movement. The 2024 show stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Sehgal, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and others in lead roles.