He’s in the mood to experiment

A rare combination of the rugged and boy-next-door looks, this young actor is finding a loyal fan base with every project he takes up

He was first known as Saiprasad from the popular television show Ka Re Durava and now as Vikrant from Khulta Kali Khulena, which airs on Zee Marathi. Excelling at everything he does, Omprakash Shinde is a powerhouse of talent. A straight As student when he was in school and college and now an excellent actor, the young boy is sure making is way to the top and how.

He completed his engineering with a distinction and acting was never a part of any of his future plans. The first time he performed a solo act on stage, it was for his school function when he was in the ninth grade. Soon enough, his corporate life got the better of him and he decided to take up theatre once again although it was just as a hobby.

There was something about the character Vikrant that immediately clicked with Omprakash when he heard the script for the first time. In the show, he plays a gynaecologist, who is smart, mature and always keeps others’ interest over his own. “I don’t want to play just one kind of role. Vikrant’s role was very different from what I had done prior to this and I only hope that the next project I do is something even more out of the box. I am, in many ways, tolerant and patient like Vikrant. I could relate to his character so deciding to take it up was not much of a hassle,” he smiles. He also adds that one other factor that helped him take the decision was the fact that this was not the typical ‘saas-bahu’ saga.

Omprakash always thought that to find your feet in the industry one required a godfather and/or a lot of money. This is why even when he started doing theatre as a hobby, he did not think for a second about taking up acting as a career. He wasn’t getting the kind of satisfaction he would have liked to have from his nine to five job and his restlessness made him join theatre groups in the city. He even started enrolling himself in acting workshops. He has always liked doing mimicry since he was in school so he thought he could divert his mind with acting.

Since he had done a few solo acts when he was in school, he felt like he knew what he needed to about theatre. It was, however, quite surprising for him to discover that there was so much that he had no idea about and that there was a whole side to him that he had not yet explored. “I learned that to be an actor one has to be intelligent and aware of what his or her capabilities are. No performance of yours as an actor must be a fluke. You are a good actor only if you are able to replicate your performances and recreate the personality of your character just like you did it the previous time,” he says.

Omprakash says he has been fortunate enough to always have a good set of co-actors to work with and has nothing to complain about. While he has nothing planned in particular for his future he knows for a fact that he wants to play as many diverse characters as he can and will not say no to any kind of opportunity. Bollywood is definitely something he would venture into but he also realises that there is a lot more to achieve before he starts planning for that break. Nevertheless, he will soon be seen in the Avdhoot Gupte directed film Kanha, where even though he has a small role, it is a substantial one he tells us.

salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

Originally published on The Golden Sparrow