Suraj Sharma
To spend time with Suraj Sharma is to witness gentle self-deprecation served over and again; after more than a decade in the film industry, he remains excessively humble. Life of Pi, his breakout film, was released eleven years ago, when he was nineteen. Early on in his work like Homeland, Umrika, Phillauri and The Illegal, there were plenty of stereotypes where his cultural background defined his roles. But his recent roles, including the CBS comedy-drama series God Friended Me, the freshly renewed Hulu sitcom and his How I Met Your Mother spinoff, How I Met Your Father, Netflix rom-com Wedding Season and a subtle meaningful family drama, Gulmohar, have been more thoughtful, less energetic but there’s still a lot of heart. Sharma, in a pale-green printed shirt, his dark hair pushed back with the help of a hat, spoke to us over Zoom where he shared a few desires, secrets and quirks.
Contextualise yourself in one line.
I’m a very nomadic person who’s very curious about everything and wants to figure it out.
First memory of acting.
First memory of acting was definitely me and my brother when we were kids, we used to convince people that we knew languages that didn’t exist and we used to speak them to each other until everybody believed us. To the point where we knew what we both were saying…to some degree.
Why do you do what you do?
Because I don’t wanna do anything else.
What’s the best part about your role in Gulmohar?
My best part about this role is that it was a vessel for the pain and struggles of many people of my generation and I got to put it on screen.
Your first job.
The first job I was hired for was definitely in school and I was supposed to sell muffins because I was a very good salesman.
One ritual in life you can’t do away with.
Walking. I love to just walk. When I walk, I think better and I can think about anything. Whenever I’m thinking about things, I’m walking usually.
What cheers you when you’re sad?
Honestly talking to my family, a good cup of coffee and cooking food for myself that I’m craving.
One artist from any genre/field whom you can’t stop admiring.
It keeps changing but I really am going to say this—Notorious Biggie. For whatever reason I keep listening to this person and his flow is tremendous and it really makes me think and I have creative thinking happening. I know it’s weird. I could have given something better.
Favourite thirst quencher.
Classic sweet and salty fresh lime with little chaat masala.
Three things people will be surprised to know about Suraj Sharma.
I wanted to be a footballer when I was a kid. I’ve started customising shoes myself. And my personality is surprising to a lot of people. I don’t know how to put that.
What’s your favourite thing to wear?
Loose flowy pants.
One question you hate being asked in an interview.
Did you actually meet the tiger when you were doing Life of Pi? Did the tiger try to attack you?
One fictional character you’ve admired or identified with the most.
There’s this guy in a movie called Snow Piercer. He lives with everybody in the back of the train and he wants to bring everybody to the front of the train. It’s a hardcore story. I don’t remember his name, but I really identify with him. And also, in this weird way there’s another character in a movie called Howl’s Moving Castle. There’s this character that’s in the beginning, very sweet and helpful, but greed takes over and then he becomes a monster. And I think that is a great warning and a great symbol to keep in your head about, even if you have good intentions, you gotta be wary of it all. So, I’m in inspired by that in a weird way.
Directors you can’t wait to collaborate with.
Obviously [Christopher] Nolan’ Lesli Linka Glatter, [S.S.] Rajamouli.
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
I went to Kashmir for the first time very recently which was an intense and beautiful experience. My friend is an agriculture journalist, so we would talk to farmers about cultivation patterns and the problems that they’re going through. So, it wasn’t like a very touristy thing but was beautiful because we walked for like three, four days.
An occupational hazard.
Fame.
Your greatest achievement.
My greatest achievement so far is holding on to and strengthening the bond between me and my family after being gone for so long.
What are you high on these days?
I’ve been making a lot of music recently; producing and writing a lot of rap. Afro beats and global rhythm and drums. That’s been my recent high. I love it.
And lastly, 2023 will be?
Freaking great. And I’ve been telling people this actually, ‘I don’t know why I get this feeling. 2023 at least I think at a personal level is going to be lovely for me and my family.’ ///
Words Hansika Lohani