'Iqbal' star looking for a glamorous swing

Mumbai, Nov 26 (IANS) After winning hearts with his sensitive portrayal of a deaf and mute cricketer, "Iqbal" star Shreyas Talpade is now looking to don more glamorous roles.

Riding the crest of his maiden success, the actor, who portrayed the title role in the Nagesh Kukunoor movie and earned the sobriquet "The Rampur Express", wants to continue the good work but is keeping his fingers crossed.

"I am open to doing an out and out glamour role. As an actor it is my job to do well in any role," the true-blooded Mumbaikar told IANS in an interview.

"I am in the entertainment industry and I think it is the right time for me to experiment," said Talpade, politely declining to disclose his age.

He is not overtly bothered whether the small town or village simpleton image he carries would adversely affect his chances of bagging the so-called mainstream Bollywood roles.

Talking about the "Iqbal" image, the Marathi theatre and television serial actor said it was given to him by a director and can be overshadowed and overwritten by another.

"I am already into discussions over a role that may not be very, very glamorous but is what we call the typical mainstream Bollywood role," he said.

Talpade, a one-time backbench mimicry artiste, thanks his friends for pushing him into acting, both as a collegian and as an amateur dramatist.

A commerce student of Mumbai's Mithibhai College, Talpade went on to complete a post-graduate diploma in marketing management before taking to full time acting.

"There are only two reasons why I took up acting. To begin with, it was because we used to get full attendance in college if we joined dramatics.

"But once I attended acting workshops and got more and more involved in the field, I realised this is where I wanted to be," said the son of a businessman.

Talking about the experience of sharing the screen with Girish Karnad and Naseeruddin Shah, two of the most talented actors in the country, Talpade said those two were acclaimed because of their personalities, not just acting.

"I was a bit intimidated initially about acting with the two legends. But I realised they are such humble people."

Talpade spoke about instances when both Kukunoor and Shah would take him away separately and make him feel comfortable with words like: "Don't worry about anyone. If you have problems, you can speak to me."

He had only words of admiration for his co-star Shweta Prasad, who portrayed the role of Iqbal's sister Khadeeja in the movie.

"She's absolutely brilliant. It's mind blowing for someone of her age to be so spontaneous, understand the director and add value to the role," the screen brother said.

Without sticking on to past glory, Talpade is now looking forward to more such challenging roles.

He has already been signed up to play the role of a young M.F. Hussain, in an autobiographical film.

The venerable painter has completed the audio recording of his autobiography, which will be directed by his son Owaiz Hussain.

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