Sharat Saxena's birthday: Remembering his notable performances in Bollywood
From thoughts of quitting his acting career to bagging meaty roles in Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, and Chiranjeevi films, Sharat Saxena has had a prolific career in both Bollywood and South. Though Saxena is popular for his strong supporting characters, he wanted to quit when he was only cast as a henchman for 25-30 years. On his 73rd birthday, check out his notable Bollywood roles.
'Ghulam' (1998)
Only after his stint in the South Indian film industries, Bollywood realized Saxena's acting skills beyond fight sequences and he got his first opportunity to portray the main antagonist. Ghulam, starring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji, features Saxena as a former boxing champion, who controls the neighborhood, terrorizes residents, and robs business owners, disguised as a travel agent.
'Phir Hera Pheri' (2006)
Saxena began his acting career in the early 1970s and has appeared in over 250 Bollywood films since then. He is popularly known for his role as Totla Seth in the second installment, Phir Hera Pheri, of the Bollywood cult comedy Hera Pheri franchise. The film also stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Bipasha Basu, Rimi Sen, Johnny Lever, and Rajpal Yadav.
'Hasee Toh Phasee' (2014)
Directed by Anurag Kashyap and produced by Karan Johar, the 2014 rom-com drama film Hasee Toh Phasee stars Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra in lead roles. In the film, Nikhil (Malhotra) is a struggling businessman confused with love and Saxena plays a strict father who wants him to become an IPS officer. The film received critical acclaim and was also a box-office success.
'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' (2015)
Another notable role of Saxena is in the 2015 popular comedy-drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan directed by Kabir Khan. The film stars Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan with Saxena playing Kapoor Khan's father. It's one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films and won a National Film Award. The story revolves around a Hanuman devotee who sets out to reunite a six-year-old Pakistani girl with her mother.
'Sherni' (2021)
Saxena told The Indian Express that the opportunity to star in Vidya Balan's Sherni came to him "out of the blue" and added "a new chapter" to his career. He also mentioned that he was forever indebted to director Amit Masurkar for introducing Saxena to a new genre. Saxena plays the role of Ranjan Rajhans aka Pintu Bhaiya, a callous hunter.
