My New Role as a PRODUCER ......

"Herbarium is a collection of dried plants mounted, labelled, and systematically arranged for use in scientific study and a place or institution where such a collection is kept." The initiative called 'herbarium' will see some old classics being recreated on stage by new directors and artists.

Click here to read the details ..

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My Work on stage ......

I know it sounds highly cliched, but stage is the base of performing arts. No other medium gives you an opportunity to gauge audience's feelings instantly. A receptive audience is a great morale - booster for theatre actors.

There are lots of experiences, both pleasant and embarassing which have remained etched in my memory. I remember an instance during 'Char Choughi' in which the recorder refused to play the opening music, so I spontaneously sung a rhyme to wind up the scene. There are also many such times when the lights don't turn on or off at the required time. In such cases it is important for the actors to bare a presence of mind and prevent the scene from becoming a disaster.

Click here to view the list of my work on stage ..

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My Work on television ......

Experiences with the small screen ......

I work on both Marathi and Hindi serials but unfortunately, certain stereotypes put forth tend to define and confine your portrayal. I feel in Hindi serials one is more concerned about the appearance, continuity, looks etc. than your involvement in the role. Marathi serials give you ample opportunity to prove yourself. We have very good writers and directors who are very committed. In Marathi serials you see such a variety of themes and the characters portray very sensitive roles and this aspect of variety as well as sensitivity is missing from Hindi serials.

I had some very memorable moments during the making of 'Prapancha' directed by Pratima Kulkarni. The atmosphere on the sets was more like that in a family. It was disciplined, no doubt, but gave me a sense of enjoyment, where the entire cast shared a good rapport and worked together to make the serial a success.

Click here to view the list of my work on television..

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My Work on Big Screen......

My first break in the film industry came when actor-director Sachin Pilgaonkar offered me 'Aatmavishvas' which became a runaway hit both, in Pune as well as in Mumbai, where it became a silver jubilee. After this, I was cast in 'Aahuti', which also ran packed houses in Mumbai. Later I also got the opportunity to work with stalwarts like Vikram Gokhale, Vandana Gupte, Ashok Saraf, Savita Prabhune and others in 'Lapandav'. My first film in Hindi, an NFDC film, was 'Tunnu Ki Tina'. Later on I did 'Nidaan' and 'Astitva' with Mahesh Manjrekar.
Basically I am a happy-go-lucky kind of a guy. I also admit that I lack those PR skills where you need to promote yourself. Probably that has restricted my arena.

Click here to view the list of my films..

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As an RJ on WorldSpace......

Hi guys!

It gives me immense pleasure to tell you that I am about to do something very different from what I usually do. As you might know, I have been doing Marathi theatre for a very long time, to be precise, for nearly twenty years. It started in 1985, when I did my first play in Marathi, Aflatoon, which was a musical play, where I was a lead singer.

Thereafter I did many plays, where my acting skills were honed by stalwarts like Vinay Apte, Dilip Kulkarni, Chandu Parkhi, Kishore Bhatt, Vandana Gupte, Vikram Gokhale, Mohan Joshi, Damu Kenkre, Vijay Kenkre and many others. I had never ever thought that I would take up acting as a full-time profession. In my childhood, I had tabla classes for nearly seven years.

Simultaneously, I attended singing classes and I cleared the Gandharva Mahavidyalayas exams till Madhyama Pratham. However, after the 10th, I nearly lost touch with the artistic side of me, until I started doing theatre.

All these years, I was groomed by my parents, my seniors in the theatre industry and one major factor, RADIO. Unknowingly, I was being influenced by it. The songs that were played on it, the legends who came on air, the radio plays, the news, etc. Radio was such a beautiful, mesmeric medium then. But after a few years, all of us lost touch with radio and we were hooked on to a new phenomenon, television.

However, with the advent of FM stations people are once again getting nostalgic about the radio era. I always used to wonder about the radio jockeys, how difficult it must be for them to talk to somebody they cannot see. After all, I can’t imagine myself talking on the phone to somebody whom I have never seen.

But now World Space has given me this wonderful opportunity to host my own show, To Ha Sunil Barava, on Radio Surabhi. I now hope to come closer to my fans and well-wishers and share my experiences from my theatre and film days. Does it sound like I am retiring from acting? No way! Acting is and will always remain my first love.

I hope I have not said too much. But there is no running away from me now - I am going to be actually talking to you and lure you into listening to me.