Tushar Hiranandani is the director of Srikanth, and he talked about the amount actor Sharad Kelkar charged for him. Goliyon Ki Raasleela-Ram Leela and Mohenjo Daro are some of his powerful films where he has also made great contribution to Hindi films as well as TV. In sharp contrast to this, Sharad Kelkar received a mere Rs 101 as his fee in the movie Srikanth.
“Only a sum of 101 rupees was given to Sharad Kelkar for his role in “Srikanth” by Tushar Hiranandani”
He added that it was so because initially, the actor demanded much compared to what other actresses would want. However, after listening to the film’s narration, Kelkar was so moved by the story and the opportunity that he decided to join the project despite financial constraints. “Sharad came to meet me and gave me a price that I think he deserves but then I told him ki yeh bohot muskil hai mujhe (that it’s very difficult for me) so can you please listen to my narration.” said Tushar.
He also revealed that Kelkar agreed on such low payment because of his passion for acting. The next day when Hiranandhani was approached by producer Bhushan Kumar who informed him that even if it means dying for it they will get Sharad at any price for their film or something like that; Then Ravi’s character comes in post intermission point but plays a crucial part in narrating this story. Hence, according to Hiranandani “Sharad enters the film post interval and guess the fee on his Srikanth contract? It is just Rs 101! In reality Ravi is the man behind success of Srikanth Bolla.”
However, Kelkar had challenges before making a name for himself in the industry. In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, he opened about his past anger management issues, revealing a significant incident that led to surgery and a changed demeanor. Similarly, he had a very severe stammering issue in his early days of acting career, but with help from Keerti Gaekwad, his wife; he was able to overcome it. He praised her for being there during the darkest moments of his life when he appeared on the podcast hosted by Maniesh Paul. He stated that “Then I met my wife. I am also lucky to have met a few wonderful people from my first show, who also helped me overcome it.”
