When Actor Sharat Saxena Was Fed Up Of Being Typecast And Wanted To Quit Films

Leading men in Indian cinema today are often defined by their well-sculpted muscular physique and their ability to perform action, especially in commercial masala cinema. Sporting a six-pack and being ripped has become kind of a prerequisite to gain a foothold in the film industry but if we go back by a few decades, it was a different scenario. Well-built men were often reduced to being stuntmen or henchmen for the main antagonist, getting beaten up by heroes half their size. One name that pops up when we talk about such actors is Sharat Saxena.

Though Sharat Saxena has had a prolific career, performing strong supporting characters like Totla Seth in Phir Hera Pheri and Kareena Kapoor’s father in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he had to wait for almost three decades for meaty roles. For almost thirty years, Sharat Saxena, who was known for his muscular physique, only played a strong henchman as the primary antagonist. In fact, this typecast had caused him to hate himself as well as his job and wanted to quit acting.

Sharat Saxena narrated his anguish in an interview given to Rajshree Unplugged.

He said that every morning he used to wake up, look at himself in the mirror and think, “Again today I am going to be beaten up by the hero. This was my job. And I did this work for about 25-30 years.” Sharat Saxena said that at one point he hated himself for having a good physique which typecast him in fixed roles and decided to leave the industry. One day he asked his wife how much money they had and she said they had enough to see them through a year. Sharat Saxena then decided to take a break from acting.

But things were soon to take a turn for the good. Within three days of deciding not to work in Hindi films, Sharat Saxena got a call from Kamal Haasan to work in the Tamil film Guna. It was a meatier role than his usual portrayals and he accepted. Sharat Saxena continued, “The role was good, and the money was good, too. With him, I travelled to Chennai and Kodaikanal to shoot. The movie won numerous accolades. I got to know Ramkumar Ganesan while this movie was being made. He questioned me, “Will you work in my Tamil movie, Sharat?” I replied “Yes” right away. Mannan was the title of his movie. In that, Rajinikanth played the main role, and I played the main antagonist.”

After this, Sharat Saxena did films with many big actors of the South including Mohanlal. It was only after his stint down South that Hindi cinema recognized him as an actor rather than just a fighter and he was offered the role of main antagonist for the first time in Aamir Khan’s Ghulam, a role that fetched him much critical acclaim. Sharat Saxena bagged many important roles sice then and did not have to look back.