It’s rare to see actors like us as leading face: Sanjay Mishra

After his National School of Drama course, when actor Sanjay Mishra took up acting in early 90s, his only quest was to do impactful roles. The actor shares that he never had a hunger to play the lead but had a wish to always give his best shot, irrespective of the role length or scale of the film.

“Never in my wildest dream did I expect that someday I will be the face of a project. My aim was just one — film chahe jaise bhi ho people must say ‘aap bahut acche thhe’ be it a comedy any other genre. But, Ankho Dekhi changed the game followed by Masaan, Kadwi Hawa, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and thankfully ab toh kamaal ka kaam aa raha hai,” he tells while shooting in Lucknow.

The versatile actor is happy that trend changed and characters started to become main stars.

“It’s rare that makers look at actors like us as a leading face of a project. Mukaya patra ke roop main log dekhte jaroor hain but himmat bahut kam log karte hain. But slowly, now it has started to happen. Drift has happened and the taste of audience has changed too. Hero, heroine ke alawa bhi ab kahaniyan hain… due to which, now big productions houses see us as a leading face!”

Mishra adds, “Best thing happened with me is that so-called success came to me slowly but surely — warna log pagla jate hain (laughs). Climbing step-by-step, I kept my feet on the ground. And, that’s the reason I enjoy doing short films exploring deeper characters. The hunger to do new things keeps me going. I got so involved in Ankho... that I became diabetic and after wrapping this dark film called Gwalior, I was in a shock for over a month.”

The time ahead has a very interesting mix of work in store for Mishra.

“I have shot for Rohit Shetty’s Circus, Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Colour Blind, Woh Teen Din in Chunar-Varanasi. I shot a lovely film at Leh-Laddakh besides Teachers Day and Fugitive both in Dehradun. Some more projects have happened but aajkal woh non-disclosure sign karwa lete hain sab…” he shares.

Last seen in 36 Farmhouse, Mishra adds, “In my life, after the initial phase, it has always been an overflow of work and in pandemic too I have worked back-to-back. I don’t have time to meet my family and my kids are solely dependent on their mother as I cannot give them much time.”