An inspiring story for an actor, he has travelled a unique path for over two decades until success came to him with a laughter. As a comedian in over 99 films and then turning hero in his 100th venture, Sharan is also a producer and a playback singer.
Riding high on ‘comedy’, the actor has laughed his way into the hearts of millions of Kannada audiences and continues to do so as a hero with a comedy punch. While few of his previous outing failed to meet the expectations, his latest — Rambo 2, a sequel to his most successful film Rambo gives the much needed boost to his career. He speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about his laughter challenge, and some unknown interesting facts about the actor himself.
About his latest success with Rambo 2, the actor says that the success has come at the right time for several reasons. “This one is special because several leading technicians have come together to produce including me. This success was very much needed for the industry as it will send out a positive message. Even if it had failed to do so, the experiment would have served as a warning. However, it was the trust amongst the technicians to attempt such a subject is indeed a healthy sign. Previously, the film Bulbul which was also produced by technicians had earned similar success,” says Sharan.
It was director Tharun Sudhir who lead the team of technicians turning producer for Rambo 2.
The actor who started his career almost two decades ago in supporting roles, mostly as a comedian, is one of the rare actors to achieve success in his 100th film wherein he turned hero. “It was an accident and I had never dreamt of becoming a hero. My ambition was to produce a film and while we were looking around finalising the casting for our film, the team came up with this wild idea of casting me as hero. I initially laughed at it. It was very critical as I was running the risk of losing work as a comedian after becoming a hero. But, my team convinced me that I will simply continue my laughing journey in the lead and not necessarily as a hero,” he smiles.
With a theatrical background, Sharan, brother of popular actress Shruthi, is even known for his playback skills as a singer. “My entire family is filled with actors. My sister and I are the third generation who are this profession. It has been our bread and butter for ages. We consider acting as a serious thing. I had been singing from a long time even before I got into films. It is only one that people recognise my singing as it is widely publicised,” he explains.
He was part of a local orchestra team and is not a trained singer. Interestingly, Sharan who loves the wild life, (had even sought a job in the forest department) still loves the wild so much that he makes sure to explore the jungles while shooting for his films.
While Rambo 2 earned him great success, the sequel formula is most likely to return for another hit film from the past —Victory.
Also a great dancer, Sharan reveals that the credit goes to his dance master and the film.team who made him a dancer. “People may laugh at me right now if I say that dance is not my cup of tea. I would run away whenever I come across a challenging choreography. As a comedian, I hardly danced but it was an inevitable thing when I started as a hero,” Sharan adds.
Apart from his Victory-2 wherein he is paired opposite Asmita Sood, Sharan will be seen sharing the screen with Ragini Dwivedi in a yet to be titled film directed by Yogananda, which will be shot in the US.
