Hailing from Bihar, Sonu came to Mumbai in 2003. “I started with theatre in Patna and continued with it in Mumbai as well. I also did a diploma in animation to survive but soon realized that’s not my field. Then I got to act in a Bhojpuri show. And then my film journey started with Anwar (2007) where I had three scenes but it was cut to one. However, the same director re-cast me in The Legend of Michael Mishra (2016).
Then, I did small roles in Super 30, Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW), Dil Bekrar Hai, Meenakshi Sundareshwar but that’s how the struggle is. But today I have some good projects in hand. I think in our industry kaam se kaam aata hai…mere saath to aisa hi hua hai, thankfully.”
Actor Sharat Sonu is exploring opportunities in all medium to expand his base as a performer. Having done TV serials, films and OTT shows, his recent release was Aditya Sarpotdar’s Marathi film Zombivli, he just shot TVC in Telugu and has also done episodic in Maithili language.
“I am not leaving any platform and medium where I can get good exposure as an actor. Earlier, I was focused only on films but strongly felt that one has to be really very lucky to get noticed amid big stars. Ads, TV serials, short films and OTT projects surely gave me better recognition,” says the actor who has done films like Anwar, Bahut Hua Sammaan and Kaagaz.
Sonu shares that all was going well for him but then pandemic struck and things went haywire. “Problem is that due to erratic pandemic spells, shoots are stalled resulting in loss of work. Many projects that were already locked have been postponed too. I lost on Fukrey-3 due to this. Thankfully, TV commercials have kept me afloat where I got opportunity to work with Ajay Devgn, MS Dhoni, Pankaj Tripathi and other biggies.”
Recently Sonu completed a film in Nainital where he plays Amit Sial’s younger brother. “Next I am going to start to shoot for a big banner series in Gujarat. It’s based on a popular book which is set on a prominent university in Uttar Pradesh. Then I will be shooting for the film Harry Up.” The actor says that his best work was with Imtiyaz Ali’s short film Paani Panchayat, directed by his brother Arif Ali. “It got me good recognition and more work.
Gone are those days when actors kept themselves hinged to a medium, format, or a region/industry in particular. Today, we are witnessing a new breed of actors who are not just platform agnostic but are also quite comfortable when it comes to transcending regional boundaries. In fact, it’s this versatility that’s allowing a lot of performers to stay relevant as working actors despite the great uncertainty and hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last couple of years. Over the last decade or so, Sharat has starred in various TV shows such as ‘Powder,’ ‘Shubh Vivah,’ ‘Sadda Haq,’ ‘Crime Patrol Dial 100,’ and ‘Yeh Hai Mohabbatein,’ among others.
His most recent release was Aditya Sarpotdar’s Marathi film ‘Zombivli’. Also, he recently shot for a TVC in Telugu. Hailing from Bihar, he has also tried his hands at content in the Maithili language. “It’s important for me to get as much exposure as possible as an actor and so I don’t want to overlook any platform, medium or format where I can express myself,” explains Sharat.
“There was a time when I was only focused on doing feature films but now I know better. As a matter of fact, I have gained more recognition from doing short films, OTT projects, and TV serials than feature films,” adds Sharat who considers Imtiaz Ali’s short film ‘Paani Panchayat,’ directed by his brother Arif Ali, to be his best work.
One of the reasons why the long-form format is more suited to character actors like Sharat Sonu is that while roles of character artists are often edited out in films, the series on the other hand thrive on multiple character arcs. “I see the rise of OTT platforms as a boon for character actors like me. As an actor working in the OTT space, I get good screen space as well as scope to perform which is often not possible while working in the movies as makers are always striving for shorter running times for their films,” explains Sharat who will next be shooting for a big banner series in Gujarat.
Like most actors, Sharat too has been severely impacted by the pandemic but he greatly benefitted from doing TV commercials which provided him with some stability. “Things were going pretty well but then pandemic struck leading to great uncertainty owing to which shoots got stalled, resulting in loss of work. Some of the projects that were already finalized were postponed. As a result, I lost ‘Fukrey 3’.
But TV commercials kept me going as I got to work with the likes of MS Dhoni, Ajay Devgn, and Pankaj Tripathi, among others,” reveals Sharat who has recently finished shooting for a film wherein he plays the part of Amit Sial’s character’s younger brother. He will next be shooting for a film titled ‘Harry Up’.
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