‘Follow your imagination’

Nonika Singh

More than a decade ago when this young lad from Sri Ganganagar entered tinsel town, he not only found himself a ‘misfit’ but would have a tremor in his voice and butterflies in his stomach. So much so that he could not approach a coffee shop for a cup of coffee without trepidation!

Today, as Sohum Shah stands as an acclaimed actor with many laurels and awards up his sleeve, he may not be a household name but has certainly carved a niche for himself with movies like Talvar, Tumbbad and National Award-winning Ship of Theseus. So what made him say yes to Maharani, which, as the title clearly suggests, is not so much about Maharaja? But as he is all set to charm us in the second season of Maharani, he shares how he always wanted to work with creator of the series Subhash Kapoor.

Besides, he assures nay promises that his engaging character, Bheema Bharti, will no longer be relegated to the margins. Rather he states, “You will get to see at least six to seven rasas out of the navrasa of abhinay.”

Pure fiction

However, one thing he goes on record once again to state is that the character isn’t fashioned after any real political leader and certainly not Lalu Yadav. Any similarity to living or dead is incidental goes his disclaimer and he reiterates, “It’s a work of pure fiction.”

Of course, not because it is rather challenging to create a political series on real life events but precisely, “for you can take the story anywhere and in any direction when you follow your imagination.” Thus as a producer he loves the genre of horror for, “You can traverse any galaxy; from pataal lok to swarg lok to mortal earth, the expanse is limitless.” Primarily an actor of films, he especially recalls Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar wherein he got to rub shoulders with none other than Irrfan Khan, whom he remembers as a live lesson in acting; he draws inspiration from the great actor even after he is no more.

Content is king

Smitten by the magic of 70-mm, however, he is all praise for OTT too and singles out content-driven series like Gullak, which are projecting even middle-aged actors as heroes. Personally, Maharani has brought him more audiences in his home town too, where viewers could not relate to critically acclaimed movies like Tumbbad and Ship of Theseus. With glee, he recalls an anecdote how when with a great sense of pride he had taken his mother to the 75th Venice International Film Festival where his film Tumbbad happened to be the opening film. Guess what, his mother was least impressed and quizzed; why do you make such films?

Ideally, Sohum, who has earned fulsome praise both for his films as a producer and as an actor, craves for box-office success and critical appreciation. But, as he is busy with his next film, an experimental one-actor film, he professes he has mastered the please-all formula. And the atrangi film will have just the right mix of all ingredients.

Happy journey

As for the sequel to Tumbbad, well, if the first one took seven years in the making, the second outing too will not come out in a hurry. As it is, four years have elapsed since feted and lauded Tumbbad’s release, and the weight of expectations makes his job doubly onerous. Yet nothing can dampen his enthusiasm to make films with a difference and that make a difference.

From a backbencher in school to a consummate actor and producer, Sohum’s journey, both internal and external, has been a classic case of jahan chaah wahan raah. Of course, when he came to Mumbai, he wanted to be a Shah Rukh Khan till he realised there is only one of his kind. But, yes, he does want to do romantic roles and hopes his romantic turn in Maharani 2 (streaming on SonyLiv) will gladden the hearts of viewers.