Acting is easy; promotions are so tough: Shreyas Talpade

If you remember his performances in Iqbal and Dor, then spare a minute for the likes of Om Shanti Om and Welcome To Sajjanpur. Actor Shreyas Talpade, who has to his credit some varied and memorable performances, is very excited about his forthcoming release, Housefull 2.

“I have known director Sajid (Khan) for a long time now but he’s a cracker on the sets. We go through the script and are prepared with something but while giving the shot, Sajid’s voice is constantly heard over the mike, suggesting improvisations,” recollects Shreyas, adding, “Having so many actors on the set is quite a wonder. John (Abraham) and Riteish (Deshmukh) are a lot of fun but Akkibhai (Akshay Kumar) is the protective one.

Shreyas, who has been a part of other multi-starrers, feels having more actors to share the job with is only a learning experience. “Even if it’s not your scene, there’s something always happening, which you can take back home,” states the actor.

While Shreyas was busy shooting for Priyadarshan’s Maalamal Weekly 2, he missed out on the initial leg of promotions only to join the crew later. “Today, it’s easy to act but very difficult to promote—film-makers and production houses want to go all out and we, the actors, need to fall in line as well,” he says.

Shreyas has another release this year —Shirish Kunder’s Joker. And that makes him an actor who has worked with the entire family — Sajid, Shirish and Farah Khan.

“They are wonderful people to work with but their styles of film-making are so different from each other — it actually amazes me,” he quips, adding, “But Joker is definitely one film I am very proud of. It’s been a very tough role for me to essay and I just pray that the experiment pays off.”

Having spent a few years in the industry, one thing that Shreyas finds odd is how every film slots an actor. “After films like Iqbal and Dor, there were a lot of people who told me that I wouldn’t manage comedies. Now, with all the fun roles I’ve done, people ask me if I can manage a serious role again. Like seriously — this isn’t fair!” he signs off.