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, 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 that came out early this year, have been more thoughtful, less energetic but there’s still a lot of heart. Sharma spoke to us over Zoom where he shared a few desires, secrets and quirks.
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.
Your first job.
The first job I was hired for was definitely in school where 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 helps me in creative thinking. 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 surpris- ing 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 a character in a movie called Snow Piercer. He lives with everybody in the back of the train and wants to bring them 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 symbol to keep in your head about, even if you have good intentions, you gotta be wary of it all. So, I’m inspired by that in a weird way.
Directors you can’t wait to collaborate with.
Obviously [Christopher] Nolan, Lesli Linka Glatter, [S.S.] Rajamouli.
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.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 15.10.2023