Rajesh Sharma with Boman Irani in Khosla Ka Ghosla

Even before rubbing shoulders with Sanjay Dutt in Parineeta as his brother-in-law, Tollywood actor Rajesh Sharma had a brush with Boman Irani in Khosla Ka Ghosla. Four years after its making, the film directed by Dibakar Banerjee is finally releasing on September 22.

Co-starring Anupam Kher, Parvin Dabbas, Tara Sharma and Ranvir Shorey, Khosla Ka Ghosla is a satirical comedy pitting Anupam Kher against Boman Irani.

The film’s director spotted Rajesh in Calcutta and gave him the role of Munjal, secretary to Boman. “Khosla Ka Ghosla happened much before Parineeta... Dibakar had seen me perform in a few plays. He also liked the typical Punjabi accent in my Hindi and felt that it would go well with my character and the backdrop of north India. In Khosla... I’m supposed to be a tough Punjabi guy whose mantra in life is khao-piyo-jiyo. He bullies people and carries out his boss’s crafty plans against Khosla,” says the popular face of Tollywood potboilers, but known best for his gentleman act in Aparna Sen’s Paromitar Ek Din.

“I was very nervous during my first shot for Khosla. I was facing the camera for a Hindi film for the first time and that too with Anupam Kher whom I have always been in awe of. It was he who made the situation easy for me,” recounts Rajesh, who also loved to just sit and watch Kher give his shots.

With Boman there was an instant bonding on the sets, as both came from a theatre background. “This was before Boman became a name with Munnabhai MBBS. We had a lot to share about theatre,” says Rajesh, long associated with Rangakarmee.

Rajesh is open to shuttling between Calcutta and Mumbai. “A lot of movies these days are not the run-of-the-mill stories and I’m interested in playing character roles that may suit me.” Currently, Rajesh is awaiting the release of Venkatesh’s Kranti and Swapan Saha’s forthcoming film with Jeet. He is also shooting for a Haranath Chakraborty film starring Mithun Chakraborty.