Rajesh Tailang: My son's glad I am unlike my character

Rajesh Tailang in Selection Day

Elated to have been nominated for the Best Supporting Actor (Male) category at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards for Selection Day, Rajesh Tailang tells mid-day, "I have received awards for my role in Delhi Crime, but frankly, the character of Mohan Kumar is closer to my heart."

Having explored several projects that saw him be part of different departments that tackled crime, Tailang says Selection Day offered him a part he hadn't given a go at. "More often than not, I am cast for positive roles, but that gets boring. Characters with shades of grey give an actor more scope to portray [his skills]."

He also took home a lesson or two about parenting. "My character is unlike me. He is passionate about cricket, and ultimately wants what is best for his children. At times, it is important to give kids freedom," says the father to an 11-year-old son. After Delhi Crime and Mirzapur, both of which hinged on violence, Tailang is glad that he could finally show his son his work as an actor. "He was happy that I am not like Mohan, in real life," he laughs.

More about Selection Day 2

• While they did so abundantly on camera, the cast and crew also played cricket in between shots
• The scene that sees Mohan arrive in Mumbai and walk into a stadium is Tailang's most cherished

Cast your vote for the Hitlist Web Awards

Rajesh Tailang has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Selection
Day 2. The other nominees are:

• Vinay Pathak (Made In Heaven; Amazon Prime)
• Neeraj Madhav (The Family Man; Amazon Prime)
• Sharib Hashmi (The Family Man; Amazon Prime)
• Pankaj Tripathi (Criminal Justice; Hotstar)
• Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub (Rangbaaz Phir Se; Zee5)
• Gopal Dutt (The Office; Hotstar)

There are 14 categories that the public can vote in. Log on to www.hitlistwebawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c/d as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on March 9.

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