Sharad Kelkar calls Surekha Sikri 'institution of acting'; says 'she treated me like son'

In the daily soap "Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar," Sharad Kelkar co-starred alongside Surekha Sikri from 2005 to 2009. The actor opened out to IANS about his time working with the late actress, who he considers to be an institution in the field of acting. In an interview with the news agency, Kelkar said that the late actress treated him like her son and nurtured him.

Surekha Sikri treated me like her son: Sharad Kelkar

He said, "Surekha ji was one of the first people I worked with when I started my career. She nurtured me in that show, from nuances to conversations, as if I was her son. That was clear from her attitude. It's similar to the Dronacharya-Ekalavya relationship."

Calling her a jolly person, Sharad added, "She was such a cheerful individual. On the set, we used to have a lot of fun. I used to be a prankster. She was short and slim. I'd always approach from behind, lift her, and take her for a walk around the set. With her, I have a lot of wonderful memories. Her eyes, voice, body language, everything was an institution of acting. It's been a privilege to work with such a talented actress. This was the only show where we shared the screen, but I learned a lot from her in those three years."

Nahar Singh (Sharad's character) and Bhabho (played by Sikri) had a beautiful relationship in that show, he noted. "I spent the majority of my emotional scenes with her. She instilled in me the ability to listen and sense emotions. She was fantastic when it came to portraying emotional passages," added the Tanhaji actor. 

Describing Sikri's hunger for work, Laxmii actor said, "Her best feature, which I admired, was that she was willing to work despite her older age. She was determined to work, act, and achieve her goals. She possessed a never-give-up mentality. That was one of my favourite things, and it would be fantastic if it came to me as well. She continued to work hard and achieve great results. Despite reaching that level, she was still hungry for further work and improvement."

More about Surekha Sikri

Sikri was born in Delhi on April 19, 1945, and graduated from the National School of Drama in 1971. In 1978, she made her acting debut in the film Kissa Kursi Ka.  Tamas, in which she won a National Award for the Strongest Supporting Actress, was one of her best performances early in her career. In 1995, she added to her count by winning a National Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Mammo.  Sarfarosh, Zubeidaa, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, and Raincoat were among her other critically acclaimed films. She has appeared in a number of television shows, with one of her most well-known roles being as Kalyani Devi Dharamveer Singh aka Dadisa in Balika Vadhu.

Picture Credit: SharadKelkar/Facebook/_Surekha.Sikri_Instagram