Many happy returns: Four Bollywood stars discuss their comeback roles
ByKarishma Kuenzang
Jul 25, 2023 02:28 PM IST
What does it take to make a comeback in Bollywood? When you’re older but also wiser. Four actors who popped up on screen after long spells fill us in
“It’s all in there. Find it. Dig it out.” That’s one of the lines Harman Baweja delivers as JCP Harshvardhan Shroff in the Netflix series Scoop (2023). The 42-year-old actor, who started out as a hero and then disappeared, certainly dug deep to rediscover his acting skills in the 2023 crime drama. It won praise from critics and Anurag Kashyap, who called his performance a “breakout”.
What does it take to return to Bollywood when you look older but are wiser? Sharmila Tagore, Harman Baweja, Bhagyashree and Chandrachur Singh, who made surprise comebacks after long gaps, fill us in.
Looking older didn’t bother Baweja. “I’ve got to be honest to myself and the character I am playing,” says Baweja.He knew the reason he needed to “come back” was because it didn’t work out the first time round.Scoop’s director Hansal Mehta urged him on, Baweja says. “I told him I wasn’t in the space. I agreed to an audition because I didn’t want them to be stuck on set with me, slapping their foreheads for picking me in the first place,” he says. Baweja admitted to being nervous about his performance. Styling by Suveera and Swetesh, Make-up by Aniketh Kamble, Hair by Milin Surti, Artist Pr: Tree-Shul Media Solutions. (Munna S)Sharmila Tagore picked Gulmohar (2023) as she was looking for a role that was different. “A character that spoke to me. Something age-appropriate, not a stereotypical mother/bhabhi,” she says.Chandrachur Singh’s long break was to focus on his son, Shaarnjai, whom he raised as a single father in Gurugram. “I did have offers, but they weren’t projects I wanted to do,” he says.Bhagyashree says she is fortunate to have starred in the superhit film Maine Pyar Kiya. It opens more doors and allowed her to showcase how much more she can do today.
