Shashank Udapurkar feels working on Anna was life-changing; gears up for Sambhaji biopic

Shashank Udapurkar, who played Anna Hazare in his recently released biopic Anna, has another surprise for the audiences. The actor-director plays Sambhaji, son of Chhatrapati Shivaji, in his biopic that will release soon.

Talking about Anna, the film may have not been a huge box office grosser but he’s happy that it got him a lot of recognition and appreciation. And most importantly, it changed him as a person. Shashank reveals that he could see a change inside him as a human being after doing Anna. Anna Hazare’s praise that he felt like seeing his own flashback in the film was like an icing on the cake for Shashank.

Convincing Anna Hazare for the biopic was a challenge too. Many filmmakers had approached him for a film on his life but he had turned them all down. He even refused Shashank initially, instead urging him to make a film on Mahatma Gandhi or Swami Vivekananda. Shashank says, “I convinced Anna ji by pointing out that Vivekananda and Gandhiji are like God for us but our generation believes that he can end corruption in our country. I promised him that I’ll deliver his message in the film. And then he gave his consent to make the film.”

Preparing for the character of Anna was a mighty challenge. Shashank adds that he earlier never understood why Aamir Khan would take 2 years or even more to essay a character. But doing Anna made him realize that one has to forget everything and live the character mentally and physically. Increasing 10-12 kgs for the character was easy but what took time for Shashank was to reach the simplicity of Anna Hazare.

Isn’t it too much of a coincidence that both Anna and Sambhaji are biopics? Does Shashank have a special liking for such films? Shashank makes it clear: “The benefit of biopic is that these are well-written characters and people already know the final result. Hence, we get the reactions immediately. After all, biopics are made and appreciated throughout the world.”

Shashank speaks highly of the youth and feels the challenge of the filmmakers have increased today because of them and their exposure to all kinds of cinema. “The youth today is the best audience. They have all the mediums to not only see Indian films but also world cinema. Their judgement is fast.”

With Anna turning out to be a decent fare, one looks forward to Shashank’s next. Here’s hoping it turns out to be an impressive fare!

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