Exclusive: Sharad Kelkar says Saat Phere and Baahubali became game changers in his career: Initially nobody knew I was the voice of Prabhas' character

Sharad Kelkar dubbed the voice for Prabhas in Baahubali

Bollywood actor Sharad Kelkar is a name to reckon with - he started his journey from TV and successfully transitioned to Bollywood with Goliyon Ki Rasleela - Ram Leela. Many years later, he became the voice of SS Rajamouli's Baahubali, which was played by Pan India Star Prabhas.

During an exclusive conversation with Money Control, we asked Sharad about his time in TV and his sudden decision about moving to Bollywood. And also how, from being a stammerer initially, he became the voice of Baahubali and mouthed such impressive dialogues.

We also asked Sharad what led him to make the difficult decision to leave TV's super stardom and begin afresh and take a risk in the film industry.

Not just that, but many years later Sharad became synonymous as the voice of Prabhas' character in SS Rajamouli's Baahubali, which according to him changed his life.

Sharad Kelkar has not only lent his voice to Prabhas, but he has also dubbed for Nani in Dasara, and he feels he started getting his due as a voice artist post Baahubali.

Sharad says it was after Baahubali 2 that people started recognizing that it was his voice; prior to that, nobody was aware as 'no promotions were done.'

Sharad started his career with TV and became a household name with Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar. He told Money Control that his role in Saat Phere was initially a cameo, but thanks to all the love from the audience,  the role became lead.

He credits all his success to Saat Phere and how, with his first show itself, he came known and got fame, which 'A list actors get.'

Sharad credits all his success to the three women in his life—his mother, his wife Keerti, and their daughter.
He made an interesting revelation that he got Saat Phere when he married Keerti and Baahubali when his daughter Kesha was born.

We asked him about how he dubs for his movies, and to this Sharad said he doesn't call himself a dubbing artist but a voice actor who loves to emulate and mouth dialogues as per the character's on-screen presence.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview with Sharad: 

No aspirations to become an actor 

I'll be really honest, when I came to the industry I didn't have any, as such aspiration, like people have from childhood they want to be an actor, and they want to, you know, excel in this. I didn't have any ambition like that. I wanted to do something else, and then I finished my studies. I finished my MBA; I was working, and it was just a trial when I came from Gwalior. It was just like, I'll try in this, and if it doesn't work out, then I have 2 professional degrees to fall back on and I can work somewhere. So, I can do that, all that. But destiny had some other plans for me. The actual journey started from Saat Phere, but before that, I did one show, which was a very important show of my life.

Signed Sindoor Tere Naam Ka first

I signed Sindoor Tere Naam Ka on Zee only, and then one of my very close friends, Shweta Kwatra, was starting a new show called Saat Phere; there was a small cameo in that. And it was again for Zee. So that gives a good role for 3 months. It's a very interesting one. And she's a very, very close friend of mine, and they've been, like you know, the guides of our lives. You must go and meet them or give an audition. So I gave the audition, and I got selected. But that show was taking some time. In between I started, and all of us got married, and Kriti (Kelkar) was there. And all that happened, and the show was doing pretty well. It was the number one show on Zee at that time.

Saat Phere was initially a cameo

So this cameo of 3 months in Saat Phere started a little late after 4 or 5 months. And though it was a cameo, there were a lot of actors who were friends and who were working in Saat Phere. And because the ratings were not there initially. So they were, like, discouraging me that you are doing such a show when you are already in another show, which is a number one show on the network.

Friends discouraged me from doing Saat Phere

Why do you want to associate with the show, which is doing nothing on the network? The other show is well rated, so why do you want to do it? But I said, I have committed. And that's what I learned in my studies and in my education also. If you are committed, then you should fulfill what you have said. So one of my friends left Saat Phere because he was not liking the show and all. So it was there's multiple reasons over there for me to back up from the show. But I said, No. I have committed. I'll do it. And then, obviously, the 2 goes, and the cameo becomes the lead of the show. And from there it became a lead.

Incredible success in the first show 

In TV, that time It was obviously the biggest medium, huge fan following, and a lot of viewers; there was no OTT or something. Other films or others. So the fan following was brilliant. So I saw all that in the 1st year. You know, you're the actor of the biggest show on Indian television. And, you have following not just in India but abroad also because I traveled also because of Saat Phere. And I have seen what A Lister film stars see now and then. I saw that fan following that time. So I said, you know, what next? Now what next? I've seen this in the first year. Now what next? What will excite me more? So then the plan came, and so keeda kata par late kata lekin aisa kata ki woh reh gaya. So I thought now I could try. And trust me, from there, when I finished Saat Phere, I said, I'll not repeat what I've done before so that I can learn something new. I can experiment.

Fortunate as an actor 

So, touchwood, the industry was quite, quite kind enough to me, and I got opportunities. And till date, I get, and I call it calling myself very fortunate, and I give credit to all 3 ladies at my home. And I always say this because of them; I think luck factor is with me. So and the time has proven that when I got married, Saat Phere happened to me. When my daughter was born, my first film became a hit. So all that keeps on happening. So I know that there's a factor there. Yeah. So the journey has been very, you know, it was full of learning, and that's the best part of any actor or any professional. So for me, that journey, apart from the success or whatever you call it, is my motive; what I thought about this industry is getting fulfilled. And it did continue. It's not just you. Fine. Now I've been established or tagged as one kind of actor. People are still trying different things with me. So I'm fortunate. I believe that the journey was amazing.

Ready to take risks as an actor 

This journey started from TV only. Because I remember when I finished Saat Phere, I must have gotten 13 or 14 calls for different shows as a very nice, positive husband or a boyfriend or something like that. And I refused all of them. The money was great; everything was good, I said. You never have done this for 3 years. Now I can't again get into that same, same role. So I chose a show that was very different. It was, again, I'm not a very Balaji Balaji show but produced by Ekta. And I thank her always because she gave me that show, which was very interesting at that time of TV; it was a very interesting show called Bairi Piya. It was a one-of-a kind antihero. And people from when the promo came out—a lot of my friends and industry people abused me literally. Yeah. What are you doing? What's the good guy? You are the hero. Why are you doing this? Your image will be tarnished. And I said, you know, I want to learn. I want to do different stuff, so I will do it. And, thankfully, people love that character also. Till date, a lot of people call me Nahar Singh of Saat Phere and Thakur. So the journey itself has been bound in such a way that I don't have any regrets in that.

How his journey in Bollywood began

Obviously, apart from TV, I did a very interesting weekend show Ka Pilot shoot with Vikram Bhatt. But that show didn't get approval from the channel. But Vikram offered me a film called 1920. From there got a little chaska of films, I saw that this camera is different. This whole atmosphere is different. The pattern is different; let me try. And then immediately Ram Leela happened at the same time. 2012, we were shooting the film. I was shooting, and then, you know, how mister Bhansali happens—it goes on for a year and a half. So in between, a show came to me called Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, and Mohnish sir was doing that; he was leaving the show. They were replacing him, or he was leaving the show. Yeah. And I was very skeptical of doing the show. But it was shoot for just 4 days, not the regular 6 or 7 days a week. So it was, coming under my scheme. I did that, but my film started from there, and both the films got appreciation. 1920 also became a hit in its own terms. And, Ram Leela obviously, everybody knows. From there, the journey started, and, touch wood, I did Lay Bhaari that. Then I did Rocky Handsome. Then things kept on happening. There were a few failures and a few successes.

Baahubali changed things for me in Bollywood

But I think the major turn around happened with two things, which is one is Baahubali and one is Tanhaji, which changed the perspective completely and people started knowing that this guy is there to experiment, and he's not the conventional hero guy.

Nobody knew I was the voice behind Baahubali. 

A lot of people got to know after a year when the second part came. Nobody knew I was the voice of Prabhas in the film. People were like awaaz suni hui lagti hai lekin; there was no promotion. Nobody took my name. In fact, I got my Baahubali sword, which every person from the team got at that time when Baahubali 2 was releasing. I got the Baahubali sword from the film in 2024. I said I didn't get any twaju (importance) and that I was a part of the film. Now give me. Baahubali, nobody knew at that time it was my voice; no promotion. But now people talk when I do a film, or at that time, yeah. But now from the industry, but industry at that time, but now from the audience and from the job that is organization for the film. So I think that those 2 films, you know, change the perspective that this guy will be the conventional hero of television.

Rajamouli himself selected me for Prabhas' voice. 

I'll tell you, I think it's a big hand of SS Rajamouli because he selected me; he met me. He saw me from top to bottom. And I was very sure what he was looking at me. He was looking at me, the same structure as Prabhas, so my body language also adds on to the voicing. Because if you see me doing that, I just don't sit and dub. I stand, I act, and I do a lot of nonsense in the studio. So, he could see that that he has this personality, which will justify the voice. This voice can justify the personality because I have the same structure and same body. So I think, and from there, I want to dub, you know, the style of an actor. So, then dubbing, because I have been doing dubbing and learning the craft for a long time, or for many years. I just didn't. I didn't do for Prabhas, for Nani also in Dasara. Manoj Muntashir has written the dialogues for Baahubali. He's one of the brilliant writers of our country. So he was quite easy. Sometimes you feel that I can change the word, or can I change this line? And he was quite okay with that.

Katte Hai Uska Gala from Baahubali was Rajamouli's idea

Particularly the scene—that thing, Kaatte Hai Uska Gala, was completely Rajamouli's line. And we had arguments on that also, as it's sounding very odd to me. And, so we dubbed, we redubbed, and then he said, giving me I wanted to digest slowly. And really polite also, Rajamouli sir. He's not really an angry kind of guy. He said no, Sharad, we will go with that only, and he explained to me why. And then we did the line, and it worked wonders for the film also.

Met with Prabhas twice; he is very shy

I have met him; he is a sweet and shy guy. I hardly had any, you know, conversation with him because it was just we're looking at each other and, just hi. Good job. Good job. That's it. And only twice, I think I have one so very brief, and the second time also, there's, like, a 2-minute conversation. That's it. So I don't meet him because, you know, he doesn't come in public. He hardly. So I'm just, I know. And I am a person who will not intrude on a private thing.

Stammering initially but controlled it 

It was a phase, and marta kya na karta. I applied a lot of things. But, yes, my breathing was not right, I think. So I corrected my breathing, and that helped me a lot. But still, I stammer sometimes. But the situations where I was me, I would love it in front of my wife, and I did something wrong, I stammer at times. I think a lot of words also sometimes get stuck. Because then your breathing gets very, very different. So Mhmm. Breathing has a very important role, you know, in the speech. If breathing goes wrong, I think we might stammer. A lot of people do that. Mhmm. But I worked on it. I worked on it for months and years. And I had not rectified, but I reduced it to almost 90%. Sometimes I have summer, and that's okay. Yeah. People should have some flaws.

Sharad Kelkar had a successful run in TV with many hit shows to his credit, like Saat Phere, Sindoor Tere Naam Ka, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, Bairi Piya, and Agent Raghav, to name a few from the long list.

He made his debut in Bollywood with Vikram Bhatt's 1920: Evil Returns in 2012 and then Khanji Sanera in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone starrer Ram Leela (2013). He went on to do very successful films like Lay Bhaari, Hero, Rocky Handsome, Housefull 4, and Tanhaji.

Sharad will be next seen in the Marathi movie Raanti as a solo lead. And the actor says he is satisfied that now makers have confidence in him and are being offered a variety of roles.