#GoodBye2020! Sharad Kelkar: It was a tough year that taught us to stay strong and count our blessings

Sharad Kelkar, who continues to surprise us each time he's on the silver screen, left the audience impressed with his spectacular performances in

2020

. With films like 'Tanhaji' and 'Laxmii', Sharad managed to prove his versatility once again and looks adamant to continue his remarkable run in 2021 as well.
In an exclusive interaction with ETimes, Sharad talked about the poetry competition he used to host on social media amid the lockdown and what he learnt from 2020.
Excerpts from the conversation:

Describe 2020 in one sentence
A tough year, that taught us to stay strong, value the nature and count our blessings.

How different has this year been for you?
I am a workaholic and this year was looking quite busy in terms of work. I was about to start three films from August and everything came to a standstill, so it was a shocker for me. But I got a chance to be with my family for long. I got a lot of time with my daughter Kesha, my wife and mother. While the initial days were tough, things eased out eventually.
Ever since the lockdown ended, I resumed shooting/dubbing for my upcoming projects. My role in Laxmii was appreciated, which took all the mundaneness away. I also read a lot of scripts and interacted with my fans. So all in all, I adjusted to and enjoyed the year in different ways.


Favourite OTT show of 2020
Scam 1992 and Special Ops

Talent you acquired in 2020
Since I’ve stayed as a bachelor, I know household work. But I learnt baking during the lockdown. I even ran a poetry competition in which I interacted a lot with my fans. They would share their poetic work with me, and then I would pick them up and recited it in my voice. I really enjoyed doing that, too.

Holiday destination you missed in 2020
London. I had plans to travel with family this year, but that didn’t happen because of the

pandemic

.

Any regrets of 2020
None

Resolutions/Goals for 2021
I don’t believe in making resolutions once a year. I keep challenging myself throughout the year. I would want to hone my skills as an

actor

so that I meet the expectations of my fans. I would also like to give my family enough time and be an integral part of my daughter’s growing up journey.

How was your experience on returning to the sets post the lockdown?
When I got back on the set, obviously there was a lot of paranoia and everyone was extremely careful. Everyone had to return home to their families, so the fear was there. But once we were a week into the shoot, we realised that there was nothing to worry about if we took all the necessary precautions. So things eased out.

One film you are looking forward to in 2021
Bhuj. We have really worked hard for the film and I’m sure the audience will appreciate our efforts.

What’s next for you?
Family Man 2 and Bhuj