Shantanu Maheshwari: Sanjay sir gave me confidence

Even before Gangubai Kathiawadi 2022 came his way Shantanu Maheshwari was a TV star in his own right The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film however evoked in him the hunger to be a part of interesting stories This pursuit has now led him to Netflixrsquos upcoming series Tooth Pari When Love Bites which revolves around the unlikely romance between a dentist and vampire In conversation with midday the actor shares his initial skepticism about the world of vampires and how director Pratim Dasgupta allayed his fearsEdited excerpts from the interviewWhen you were offered Tooth Pari how did you imagine its world to beI was not aware of this world because I hadnrsquot seen any of the Twilight films when Tooth Pari was offered to me I was not a fan of fantasy fiction I knew that people have tried to remake Twilight or something along those lines on Indian television but they didnrsquot sustain for long When they roped me in I thought that the show would be something like Twilight Itrsquos only when I read the synopsis that it felt like a different approachWere you nervous about facing the camera with established actors like Revathy Adil Hussain and Tillotama ShomeI had just finished shooting for Gangubai Kathiawadi 2022 at that time I had worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir so I was ready to work with anyone He was happy with my work which gave me a bit of confidence The actors are all so humble and collaborative Having been in the industry for long they are secure in their craft It was fun to understand their process They were happy to express what they liked in my performance and how we can up the sceneDoes Bhansalirsquos approach differ vastly from that of other directorsHe doesnrsquot give you many instructions he wants you to get in the skin of the character and then he tweaks it He gives you your space to perform unless you go off track Pratim Dasgupta sir is easygoing he believed in me from the beginning and I am not used to that laughs Most of them are skeptical whether I can pull off a role I take it up as a challenge to prove people wrong Pratim sir knew I was his Dr Roy I bombarded him with questions to get clarity about my character and he answered them patiently he was always receptive to suggestionsWas your journey in showbiz a planned moveYou canrsquot plan Sanjay sir for your debut film laughs You can only make informed choices from the opportunities coming your way The only thing Irsquove strategised in my career is the decision of not doing daily soaps especially the saasbahu dramas I got many offers but felt I didnrsquot fit the bill I didnrsquot want to do anything for just the moneyAlso ReadAjay Devgn Tabu Saiee M Manjrekar Shantanu Maheshwari signed for Auron Mein Kaha Dam ThaWill you shake a leg in the showThere is no dancing in this show In my earlier projects I said no to dancing if I felt that the character doesnrsquot need it I donrsquot have a problem not dancing People have the perception that the audience may not accept a nondancing Maheshwari but if the maker is convinced that I can portray the character we donrsquot need to use such gimmicks I donrsquot think Pratim sir knew of my dancing background