I feel my roles leave an impact, says Murli Sharma

Murli Sharma, whose film Sanam Teri Kasam has just hit the theatres, shares his journey in showbiz with us. Before this film, he was seen in Bejoy Nambiar’s Wazir in a small role. The actor gets chatty with The Mumbai Age about his love for the kind of roles he does, his affinity for playing the cop, getting recognised on the streets, juggling Bollywood with the south film industry and more. Excerpts:

We don’t see a weeping cop in films very often. How did you manage to pull that off in Sanam Teri Kasam When I read the script, I was in tears. My directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru’s vision was so clear that I loved playing that small role. I played an emotional cop who cannot get over the loss of his wife. He becomes obsessed and possessed by his own grief. I mostly shot with the lead actors Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane. They both were so wonderful. They came prepared as debutants. I feel my role in the film is a new parameter to play a cop in films. I am very emotional in real life too.

You are so busy working down south, how do you manage to make time for Bollywood I don’t take stress at all. I like running all the time. This is the way I want it to be. It is all about setting your priorities straight and managing your time well.

Your roles in films are small but pivotal. Are you happy with the screen space you get When Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa released, people in Bangkok recognised me and started singing the title song. During Badlapur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and I had so much fun on the sets. I am a lucky person and people love me a lot. Even though my roles are small, they leave an impact. When I started out in 1991, good looks for an actor was a must. But thanks to Ramgopal Varma who made character artists fashionable. Now it is easy for actors like us.

How does 2016 look for you on the work front Jai Gangaajal is releasing next month. I have also done a Telugu film titled Savitri. I will be starting three films this month but can’t talk much about them as of now.