I'm here by destiny: Makarand Deshpande

Being a part of No.66 Madhura Bus, his first film in Malayalam, was pure destiny, says Makarand Deshpande, the famed Fakir of 'Swadesh'. Always known for playing unconventional characters in the Hindi movies he has done, he had doubts when director M A Nishad contacted him for the film through a common friend. "But Sanjayan, my character, was written for me. When I read the script and I knew that the film was all about Sanjayan and didn't have second thoughts afterwards."
Elaborates Makarand, "A unique feature of the character Sanjayan is that he is not the conventional bad guy.He is vulnerable. He is bad for a reason, because he felt betrayed. Everyone has a criminal nature in them and the character explores the idea."
Director Nishad says that Makarand learnt all his lines in Malayalam perfectly and could easily have dubbed for himself. It was Makarand himself who declared that his Malayalam was not good enough, yet. Thilakan's son Shammi Thilakan has dubbed for the actor in the film.
Makarand has always loved Malayalam cinema, he says, for its stories, as well as for its actors. "It was reflected in the shoot for the film as well. It was obvious that they wanted actors, not stars; performances more than heroism."
Besides running his own theatre company, Makarand has directed three films, and is in the process of directing his next.