Shreyas Talpade: After 'Kaun Pravin Tambe', I'll Be Looking At More Defined Roles

Actor Shreyas Talpade received praise for his portrayal of a speech and hearing-impaired aspiring cricketer in ‘Iqbal’ (2005), his Hindi debut, which remains his career highlight, and 17 years later, the actor was praised once again for his portrayal of an aspiring cricketer in ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’, a biopic on cricketer Pravin Tambe. Owing to the success of the movie on the OTT platform, Talpade says, "I will be looking at more defined roles."

Talpade believes success in any form is very sweet and especially if it comes after a really long time and for a film like ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’, then it makes it a lot more special. Talpade is delighted since his recent work in filmmaker Sukumar’s ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ has been greatly appreciated. Also, ‘Mazhi Tuzhi Reshimgath’, a Marathi show and then ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’ all have worked well for him and helped him gain appreciation from audiences and critics alike.

With regards to his recent success, when asked about whether he will be specifically choosing more defined roles from now onwards, Talpade says, “Yes definitely meatier roles more defined parts. The roles that I am being approached for are also pretty different and interesting. I am reading different scripts and considering those parts but going forward it’s a new beginning of sort, in simpler words redefinition of an actor. So going forward I will be looking at more defined roles.”

“Doing a biopic obviously adds a lot more responsibility on your shoulders as an actor, its someone’s life that you are portraying on screen and that better be good and also justified that person who sees himself has to be happy and feel proud about the product also because it’s going to be there for life, so many people are going to see their life through our work?” Talpade says talking about how doing a biopic was different from working on other projects.

“Personally I think there is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders when we do a biopic and it's better if we stay true to the script as much as possible so there are hardly any liberties that we can take in a biopic but that’s the fun part about it. You stay true to the character and portray it to the best of your ability and showcase it,” adds Talpade.

Talpade recalls when he was complimented by Tambe himself. “I think the best compliment that I got for 'Kaun Pravin Tambe' was from Pravin Tambe when he said that he didn’t see me, he saw himself on screen. I think that is the biggest ever award that I can get for my performance in ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’,” Talpade adds.

Speaking of his upcoming projects, Talpade says, “There are a couple of scripts that I am reading. There is a film that I am acting and directing. Along with a few Marathi films that I have done. There are some releases scheduled for the second part of the year.”