Exclusive! Kafas actor Sharman Joshi: It is an exciting time for middle-aged actors

Actor Sharman Joshi has observed a change in well-written scripts and characters in the recent past in the digital space as opposed to mainstream Bollywood films. The actor, whose latest release is the web series Kafas, spoke to us about why this is an exciting time for actors of every age group.

Sharman told OTTplay, "Thanks to OTT and the way the audience has evolved with time after watching international content, it is a really exciting time for middle-aged actors to be in the business. Earlier, the scene was different. There was limited space for stories with representation from different age groups. Be it a man or a woman, the stories were mostly limited to people in their 30s. Characters in the age group of 30–50 years were written in a very generic manner. So, now, it is exciting for people in that age group to get to play different characters that are solid and well-written. The previous generation did not get such opportunities, so it is a positive change."

Speaking about how things are different between films and the OTT space, Sharman went on to add, "There used to be a big difference between the main lead and character actors in a film. Film producers were also catering to the age group that was watching movies in theatres. Since they were mostly young people, most of the interesting characters were written for young actors. When it comes to the web, people are watching series for a range of age groups. Since it is an interesting medium that caters to family viewing as well as individual viewing, we are creating content for all age groups, and everyone is finding something relatable when they watch a web series or a web film."

In Kafas, Sharman plays the role of Raghav Vashisht, the father of a child actor who has been sexually abused. 

When we asked him if he has gotten his due as an actor in Bollywood after doing multiple web projects, Sharman said, "If I look at my career in Bollywood, I have done some fantastic films like Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots, Life...In a Metro, Dhol, Golmaal. Honestly speaking, I feel blessed and think that God has given me a lot. It's not that I don't want more, but I want to feel satisfied with a film that I invest my time in. With Kafas, I felt like there was a need to tell such a story. So, I am happy, but the hunger of an actor will always be there," said the actor.

Kafas, directed by Sahil Sangha, also stars Mona Singh, Vivaan Bhatena, Mikail Gandhi, Tejaswi Singh Alhawat, Preeti Jhangania, and Mukesh Chhabra. It is available to stream on SonyLIV.