People connect with characters that are honest: Sandesh Kulkarni

After being a part of projects like Rocky Handsome, Sacred Games actor Sandesh Kulkarni feels that finally, things are looking up for the character artistes in the entertainment industry.

“It’s great to be part of the industry when good stories are being told and character actors are getting their due. Makers and writers now focus on all actors who are part of the project. Our characters are now finely sketched and crafted. A lot of good roles are being written and we as actors are giving our best to make those roles memorable and extraordinary. So it’s a phase where all of us share the responsibility to make a project a success,” says the Hundred actor.

Last seen in the series Mumbai Diaries 26/11 playing a cop, Kulkarni is overwhelmed with the response to his work. He says, “Playing a cop is always exhilarating and inspiring for me. When I was offered the role of ACP Tawde in Mumbai… I didn’t think twice because I had already played a cop in one of my previous projects but had no idea that this would be so big. Portraying such an impactful character that stays on in audiences’ minds was surely a blessing in disguise for me.”

“I come from a theatre background and have been into acting for over two decades now. I know how effortlessly people connect with characters that are honest towards their duty and nation. But for this role, the kind of rave reviews that came my way were unanticipated. I remember while shooting for the series at actual locations many bystanders mistook it for a real incident. You will not believe a roadside tea vendor took me as a real cop and even offered me a cup of tea thinking I am chasing real goons, (laughs).”

In the Marathi film industry, Kulkarni has directed a film Masala with his actor-wife Amruta Subhash in lead. “I enjoy filmmaking as the process be it acting, writing and directing is the same as theatre. Though acting comes naturally to me and it makes me feel happy to play different characters.”

Due to the pandemic and lockdown, Kulkarni lost an international project. “It was sad to lose an international TV series based on a novel as it got cancelled for Indian actors. The irony is now foreign actors will work in a series based on an Indian novel. Anyway, my other projects like Akkad Bakkad and Privacy helped me to keep working in these tough times. The former is a series with late Raj Kaushal, who was a very dear and close friend.”