Rajesh Sharma is to Bollywood what salt is to our food, an actor whose presence adds that extra zing in films these days. A look at his repertoire of work and you would know what we are exactly talking about. From Khosla ka Ghosla to The Dirty Picture to Special 26 to BA Pass, this man’s acting histrionics has impressed one and all. No wonder, this alumnus from National School of Drama is finding many takers for his talent these days.

All set to start 2015 with a bang with Boney Kapoor’s Tevar, Rajesh tells us, “Tevar is based out of UP and I play Manoj Bajpai’s elder brother. My character gets his work done through Manoj Bajpai. Only the climax of the movie will reveal what exactly my character is all about.”

While Rajesh has mostly been seen in character roles in Bollywood, he is not averse to playing lead roles as well. “I don’t think I have been typecast in these roles. I feel I can play any character be it supporting or a leading one. It all depends on my director and his vision. If he feels I excel well in character roles in his script, I have no problems in playing those. I have never consciously thought that I want to do only character roles.”

Though Rajesh is seen quite often seen in movies these days, it’s his roles’ lesser screen time that makes fans complain. However, the actor himself doesn't see it as a cause of concern. “I don’t believe in getting more screen time. It’s the quality of the scene that matters rather than the time spend onscreen. Even if there is only one scene in the movie, the treatment of it should be such that audience should remember it even after the movie is over. If my one scene too in the movie is remembered by audience, I would be happy.”

The actor who is basically from Kolkata considers Mumbai his karmabhoomi and is extremely pleased and humbled at the great reception the maximum city has afforded him. Shares Rajesh, “People have given me a lot of love and respect here. Bollywood is a very professional industry. Whoever has real talent can earn their bread here. If you don’t have talent, please go back to your city. Mumbai is not for those who don’t have talent.”

As someone who has excelled and struck a fine balance between both parallel cinema and commercial potboilers, Rajesh feels he still has a long way to go. “I have had the great opportunity to work with some brilliant parallel cinema makers like Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and also commercial filmmakers in Bollywood. I enjoy both these cinemas. But as an actor, I am never satisfied. I want to explore a lot more.”

For the moment, Rajesh is looking forward to the release of his two biggies in January, Tevar and Dolly Ki Doli, both of which will see him in contrasting roles.