Suraj Sharma has stunned the audience with his work in several Bollywood and Hollywood films. He shot to fame with his performance in the popular film Life of Pi alongside late actor Irrfan Khan. The actor is now starring in the Disney+ Hotstar show How I Met Your Father which, is the spin-off of the iconic show How I Met Your Mother starring Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan. Suraj Sharma sat down with MissMalini to discuss his career, his character and the future of the show.
Do expectations make you feel anxious?
I loved How I Met Your Mother as a show. I don’t find it anxiety provoking, it is more of a responsibility. I love the show and it matters to me how many people loved the show and watched it. So, for me being a part of the project is to try and maintain that level and do justice to the project and live up to the name. It has been great so far for everyone, the cast, the writers, the directors, everyone on the set. We really feel like we have to make it worth it and true to its name. I don’t find it very pressurizing. I wouldn’t say there is no nervousness, there is—no one is taking it for granted, for sure. We are all trying hard to live up to the name and we hope that it comes across the same way to the audience.
What is an iconic moment from the show that you will like to recreate? Who is your favorite character?
My favorite character is definitely, or in my head, the most iconic character or at least in this kind of circumstance is Ranjeet. He is coming up again and again, he was one of the first South Asian characters I had seen in a super popular TV Show. I was really inclined to see him again. And as to recreate, the whole pineapple incident or the slap bet. They are amazing scenes and they excite the audience. For instance, the slap bet was something we wanted to do even in college. All of these things come into play, we don’t want to copy anything because it has already been done and enjoyed by the audience. We want to do something that keeps running for episodes and builds excitement for the audience. The production design has been very smart about things, there are a lot of easter eggs on the set that kind of take you back to the old show. So, that’s something to look out for!
Describe your character in 3 words?
Loyal, in and over his head, and brave.
Do you relate to your character?
I do, either through me or through my friends. He had a plan for his life and went for it without knowing the outcome. He doesn’t find himself talking about himself too much but he always bolsters friends and hypes them up and tells them to go for things, to believe in themself and make it work. I do that and more so, I want to do that, I want to be that kind of a person.
As an actor you have had quite a versatile career graph, from movies to TV shows, how has the tradition been?
It’s been amazing, I got into the whole thing not knowing what I was doing and to a degree it is amazing. Because you are not stuck in a loop and you are doing new things. And as an actor, it helps me learn continuously and keep growing. From big movies, small movies, network shows and now this, it has been amazing. Comedy is my weakest link, so for me to learn that and work on that on this show with the people that I am working with on this show, it is amazing. I couldn’t ask for more. I am a lucky guy. It’s a blessing!
What do we look forward to with the show?
At least at some point, I would expect a cameo. I would want it to happen. If there is one thing that I hope comes out of it, is some sense of similarity. I just want that vibe to continue for people, that’s what people are trying to do with the show. The vibe to continue, the story to go on and the same way of storytelling comedy to go on. For viewers, it’s like when they watch the show, they should feel like they never left. Imagine if you watched the show at 15 and now you’re 25 and you’re back there in the same apartment waiting for the story the continue.
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