I’m looking for challenging roles: Shashank Ketkar

Shashank Ketkar became a household name thanks to his work on the hit television show, Honar Sun Me Hya Gharchi. The Puneite went on to work in a few more serials alongside while pursuing his first love, theatre. The actor then went on to make his film debut with One Way Ticket (2016), and he’ll soon be seen in his second film, 31 Divas.

The trailer and teaser of his 31 Divas had received some criticism on the Internet for revealing a lot of its plot, but Shashank says the film has much more to say. “I have noticed comments asking why have we revealed everything in the promos, but I can assure you that there is still a lot of intrigue in the film. The suspense is not out completely.” Speaking about choosing this film, the actor says, “For my fans and audiences, my identity is that of a boy-next-door. I wanted to experiment with roles keeping that image in mind. This film helped me maintain that balance while presenting a physical and mental challenge at two levels. One, I had to portray a character similar to who I am in real life with respect to my career graph and choices. Two, it is a story about a creative person and how he reacts to situations and circumstances around him.”

Shashank adds that the “fascinating and thrilling story” greatly appealed to him. “I get bored of simple and sober stories that are predictable. I am on the lookout for challenging roles that have refined writing and portray characters crisply. Otherwise, the film tends to get lost or the audiences have to keep guessing,” he says. When asked about the Marathi film industry, Shashank says that regional films are not only about social messages or subject-oriented scripts. “Today, Marathi films are moving beyond rural settings and making complete entertainer packages. I like raw films and realism. However, we do have films that are about inspiration and unsung heroes. I try and use these live examples as inspirations in my films.”