Sharib Hashmi: Actors move from theatre to films, but I am working in reverse
Sharib Hashmi talks about teaming up with Sunny Hinduja for a play, label of ‘character actor’ and facing judgements for being a supporting actor
He might have got recognition with the web show The Family Man (TFM) but actor Sharib Hashmi has a deep-rooted passion for theatre. He recently announced that he will be collaborating with TFM co-star Sunny Hinduja for a play. Keeping most of the details under wrap as they are working out the finer details, Hashmi reveals that it will be a two-man play and that both of them will be involved in all aspects of the play. (Also Read: Sharib Hashmi's wife sold her jewellery while he struggled with auditions for three years)
The 48-year-old admits that he is quite “excited and nervous” to be returning to theatre. “Actors move from theatre to films; with me it happened in reverse. I don’t have any theatre training but my Filmistaan (2012) co-actor Gopal Datt used to say, ‘Tu theatre ka banda hai’. He was working on a play back then and gave me two roles in it. There is absolutely a sense of freedom in theatre as it is an actor’s medium. There is a different satisfaction that comes with theatre. But having said that I have to say, cinema will always be my first love,” he quips.
Hashmi might have started his acting journey a bit late in life, today but he is happy where the journey has taken him and he thanks OTT. He says, “TFM was the show that did everything for me. OTT gave me a second lease of life; it gave me a rebirth. Asur, Scam, The Great Indian Murder brought me so much recognition, and consequently I got Tarla (2023), Afwaah (2023) and Mission Majnu (2023). I owe my positioning in the industry today to OTT.”
Hashmi is considered amongst one of the best ‘character actors’ in today’s time. Ask him if this label bothers him and he says, “If I am happy with the work I am getting, then I don’t care about the label. These are not the terms created by media and the industry, it’s the laymen who use it. When I meet someone and they tell me ‘aapne bahut acha kaam kiya tha us film mein jisme aap side mein the,’ I don’t feel bad. The genuineness of their love is enough. It was my most difficult and best decision to leave my job altogether and pursue acting. For the longest time, I had to struggle a lot, but it all paid off eventually,”
The Tarla actor admits that being a supporting actor has brought a bit of judgement against him in public eye. He recalls, “I have faced tough times. After Filmistaan, when I was having a dull phase in career, main screenings pe jaata tha aur log poochte bhi nahi the mujhe. Main aise hi guzar jata tha aur koi tasveerein nahi kheechi jati thi.” Yet, he doesn’t get bogged down by them. “I don’t take them to heart because nothing remains constant.”
