Panaji : Legendary singer Shankar Mahadevan made his acting debut with Marathi film “Katyar Kaljat Ghusali” while the makers approached him with the role he thought they were pulling a prank on him.
Mahadevan, who is part of the famous composer trio, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, plays a musician in Subodh Bhave’s directorial debut, which is based on a play by the same name.
The 48-year-old National Award-winning singer says he overcame his initial hesitation about the film because he did not want to let go off such an interesting project.
“When the offer came to me from Nitin Keni (producer), obviously being the kind of person that I am, I went on the defensive thinking that he must be joking. However, Subodh convinced me that I fitted the role perfectly as it is the role of a musician,” Mahadevan said in an interview on the sidelines of IFFI.
The film also stars Sachin Pilgaonkar and Bhave in lead roles. The original play premiered in 1967 in Mumbai where Hindustani classical vocalist Vasantrao Deshpande played one of the protagonists, Khansaheb.
The film’s music has been composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and they have retained some of the songs from the play which were composed by Jitendra Abhisheki.
Mahadevan says it was only after joining the project that he realised how challenging it was to play the character of Pandit Bhanushankar Shastri.
Mahadevan’s upcoming films as a composer include “Rock On 2”, “Mirzziya” and “Ghayal Once Again.