Sharad Kelkar: “People have stopped  seeing me as a  baritoned villain”

How  has  The Family Man changed your life?

I still remember before The Family Man(TFM)  most  of  the roles  coming to me  were negative. I don’t know  why. Maybe  it was my image. Or maybe  the baritone voice .It was getting repetitive. Although I continued  doing those (negative) roles I  was searching for something different .That’s when  casting director Mukesh Chhabra  came to me with TFM. I could see the potential  of the role  and how  it would impact the  main protagonist’s track.

And now?

Now  after Season of TFM the response on the social media  and elsewhere  is overwhelming.  They consider  me one of  the  series’ main protagonists. To me that’s big triumph. And  I’m overwhelmed with that.

Is Season 3  happening?

Obviously it is Raj and DK’s style to  leave the  ending with  a  cliffhanger. Season 2 ends with  two questions  marks. What  happened between my character and Priyamani’s  character in Lonavla. Will Shuchi  finally tell  her husband  what had happened?  There is  also some  uneasy developments  shown happening  in the North East  at  the end  of  the  last  episode .These  two cliffhangers will keep the  audience  hanging on till the next season.

So Season 3 can start with  any of  the above?

Honestly I  don’t know what’s happening to Season 3. They are  still writing it. I think it  got delayed  because of  the pandemic.  But I am sure  Raj and Dk will come with something brilliant  for Season 3 as well.

 How do you explain   the popularity of the series?

It’s a  story  of a common man who is not common.  Srikant  seems  ordinary but  he  leads a double  life. His character’s nuances are relatable. People have connected with Manoj Bajpai’s  Srikant’s daily routine  so deeply. We  all do the  things  he does. We lie to our family, we  make  excuses , we sometimes  skip important family  appointment. The fantastic  writing is also  a USP. The  characters come  across as  very human because of the writing.

What  is the  biggest compliment  you have received?

The biggest  compliment for me  is that  people have stopped  seeing me as a  baritoned villain. They now see me as a decent actor. For me there  can be  no bigger compliment.