Mahesh Manjrekar: Acting was never part of my plan
Mahesh Manjrekar, the actor-director you've seen in everything from Vaastav to Slumdog Millionaire, says acting was never part of his plan.
"I accidentally got into acting, I had never thought of it as a profession," he told PTI.
His journey kicked off with small housing society plays in 1975 and workshops featuring legends like Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah.
From theater to films, directing Sanjay Dutt in 'Vaastav'
Manjrekar's first commercial play came out in 1984, and by 1988 he'd started his own theater group.
He made early film appearances in Jeeva Sakha (1992) and TV's Kshitij before switching gears to directing—his big break being Vaastav with Sanjay Dutt.
Manjrekar's play 'Animal' premieres March 7
Seen in films like Wanted and Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy, Manjrekar is now gearing up for his solo play Animal, which he wrote, directed, and stars in.
Premiering March 7 at NCPA Tata Theatre, it follows Dattu's gritty survival story in Mumbai.
As Manjrekar puts it: "We always say that, 'Man is an animal.' If you compare a man to an animal, a man is more ferocious, perverted and vindictive than an animal."