Exclusive! Kuttey actor Umar Sharif: I was and will always be in awe of Tabu, she is an amazing human being

Umar Sharif is an aspiring actor, who has recently been seen in Aasmaan Bhardwaj-directed Kuttey. The young artiste bagged his first stint in Yeh Hai India Meri Jaan. He has been part of projects like Scam, Avrodh and Laal Singh Chaddha.

In a recent chat with OTTplay, Umar shared his experience of working on such huge projects with prominent Bollywood actors. Excerpts: 

Your big break came in Yeh Hai India Meri Jaan, how did you land the project and how much time did it take you to be a part of a prominent show?

My first break came with Yeh Hai India Meri Jaan. I was suggested by a friend for the project and the moment I got to know it was Syed Sahib (Syed Mirza) who was Directing the project, I didn't ask any questions. But I wanted to be a part of the Project. I was beginning to understand the medium of film and TV acting, so the idea was to learn and grow as much as possible. I have always been hungry for learning and growing. The idea is to experience the beauty of portraying a new character, every time possible.

How has it been to work with big stars like Tabu?

Tabu ma'am is a legend. It was a dream come true to share screen space with her. She is an amazing actor/star and we all are aware of that. But behind that star, she is an amazing human as well. I was and will always be in awe of her.

Beginning from a few small shows and now working on projects like Scam, Avrodh and Laal Singh Chaddha, how would you describe your journey in the industry till now?

It's been a beautiful journey, with its share of highs and lows. Failure and rejection have taught me more than anything in life and I embrace this with a smile. I then woke up the next day to hope and do better than yesterday.

Other than acting, what else inspires you as an actor? Would you ever like to write or direct and show?

Life in general is a bigger phenomenon for me and the experience of living every single day inspires me in some or the other way. I do write as well, I was DA to Sudhir Mishra for a very brief period back in 2015. I was also writing a film then. I do portraits, and wall art, which is more of a stress buster for me. I am not sure about Directing, but writing is definitely on the list.

Your favourite filmmaker to work with?

Vishal Bhardwaj, Anuraag Kashyap, Imtiaz Ali, Mani Ratnam, Raj Kumar Hirani, Zoya Akhtar and some names that I would love to work with. 

Tell us about your future projects.

You will see me in Sunshine Productions' The Kerala Story, Disney+ Hotstar's Criminal Minds, and Ranneeti on Voot. I will be seen as cameos for Suspicious Minds on Jio and Lust Stories 2 on Netflix.