UA Exclusive| Mahesh Manjrekar: Now I am getting good roles, till yesterday I was getting trash

Selection Day is an Indian Netflix Original Sports web television series, based on Aravind Adiga’s 2016 novel of the same name. It stars Mohammad Samad, Yash Dholye, Karanvir Malhotra, Rajesh Tailang, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shiv Pandit and Akshay Oberoi.

UrbanAsian got a chance to interview the talented actor Mahesh Manjrekar, who is all set to make his debut in web series with Netflix’s Selection Day. The actor plays a coach in the series and shares his experience with us.

Read it out here:

What was that one thing that made you say yes to the script of Selection Day?

The role. I have been acting for a long time and the content of the roles have dried up. I do South Indian films because I don’t have to understand the language and they pay well. This role had good content so I wanted to do it.

What was the process like of playing the role of a coach in Selection Day?

I didn’t do anything special because I know the game. It was just a very psychological relationship with the boys. I was more of a philosopher than a coach with them. The script was written well so I didn’t have to research much. I don’t like to learn my lines by heart. They don’t look real.

How was it working with Rajesh Tailang?

He is a fantastic actor. I had seen him in Mukkabaaz and I really liked him. And Vineet who played the lead in Mukkabaaz, he is my discovery. I had called up Vineet and asked who played the role of your father. Such a wonderfully underplayed role it was. It was a surprise when I saw him here. I had a great time with him.

How do you choose your scripts?

Now I am getting good roles, till yesterday I was getting trash. (laughs) I used to look like a buffoon, but that is what the director wanted and I was paid to do such roles. But now-a-days, I get good roles like Selection Day, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and many Marathi movie also. Now I don’t accept a film in which the role is just a part of the furniture.

You are an actor, director and a producer. Which is the easiest role to do?

I am a very bad producer because I cannot handle money. So I don’t get into that. I love to direct more because I love to conduct things. But an actor runs my kitchen. Sometimes I direct and do some crazy stuff and lose all the money, so acting helps me run my kitchen, it gives me money.

The memorable incident that you wanna share while shooting.

Nothing. (Laughs) Everything was memorable. I can’t tell you because it is gossiping. (laughs)

What’s next?

I have many things lined up. There is film releasing on the 4th. I have done a biopic on P L Deshpande. I have done it in 2 parts, it is not a sequel but the story is shown in 2 parts.