It's been a lonely journey, connections don't help: Sharman Joshi

He is not a stranger to filmdom, considering his father-in-law is veteran artist Prem Chopra and his sister Mansi Joshi is an actress and is married to actor-filmmaker Rohit Roy. But Sharman Joshi says connections don't work in showbiz and everyone has to prove his or her mettle to get recognition.

"You are at the mercy of people. No connections really help here (filmdom). You have to prove yourself. No one can fight the battle for you. It has been a lonely journey," Sharman Joshi told IANS in an interview.

After having been part of the industry for 13 years and having worked in 19 films, Sharman says there is no particular formula to succeed in showbiz.

"There are no rules for the success of any film and that's the beauty of cinema and art," he said, adding that there are no norms "as long as you are convinced about the script".

Though he proved his mettle in films like "Life In A Metro", "Rang De Basanti", "Golmaal" and "3 Idiots", all these films had an ensemble cast.

For the first time, the responsibility of carrying a film on his shoulders alone came with "Ferrari Ki Sawaari". If the film's subject was typical, there was no female lead either. Besides, t it was Rajesh Mapuskar's first directorial venture.

The only frill attached to the film was Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who produced it.

But Sharman has triumphed at the box office as the Rs.10 crore film earned about Rs.14 crore in the first three days after its release and is managing to keep the cash registers ringing. Audiences liked his performance, the concept and the presentation.

Overwhelmed with encouraging response, the 33-year-old says that people within the industry too reacted positively.

"The industry has responded exceptionally well. From Mr. Amitabh Bachchan to Sanjay Dutt to Anil Kapoor - they have really liked the film. I have got a wonderful response so far and it's a wonderful feeling," Sharman said.

"After the success of 'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' all I can say is that I want to do more good quality cinema."

Right now, mainstream big budget "Rowdy Rathore", which stars Akshay Kumar, has done good business by crossing the Rs.100 crore mark and an upbeat Sharman says all kinds of films are important for an actor and for the industry.

"All kinds of films are important and it is up to you what choice you make. Even I have been part of an entertaining film, but it has to have some sense. Going back to my past, I did 'Style' and 'Golmaal' and I enjoyed being part of them," he said.

Appreciating the creative changes in filmdom, he said: "I feel that the Hindi film industry has evolved over the years. All kinds of cinema is being accepted in today's date. A lot of small budget films are doing well."

-Uma Ramasubramaniam