Sudheer (Sanjay Mishra) has worked for years as a character actor in Bollywood films, playing varied roles from a villain’s sidekick to a doctor. Although some of his film dialogues have become iconic, he has not been able to make a distinct identity of himself as he was never the lead actor in a film. This has left him bitter. He is also unhappy about how the director of his last film had cheated him by mixing two shots — of him doing push-ups, and a girl feigning love-making — to make it look as if he and she were indulging in sex. Sudheer has never kept count of the number of films he has acted in and he is pleasantly surprised when he learns that he has been a part of 499 films. He is keen to touch the magical figure of 500 and for that, he approaches his casting director-friend, Gulati (Deepak Dobriyal). Does Sudheer get his 500th film? What is the reaction of his married daughter when he decides to work in one last film, in view of his bad experience in the previous film?

Sanjay Mishra starrer Kaamyaab hit the screens on 6th March 2020. The film captured the journey of the character actors. Recently, The Alchemist author Paulo Coehlo praised the film and his performance.

Taking to Twitter, he said, “The producers thank you in the very 1st frame, @iamsrk. I am doing the same. 2 days ago a great Brazilian actor, Flavio Migliaccio, committed suicide, leaving a note on how the industry treats their artists. This movie, labeled as “comedy”, is in fact the tragedy of Art.”

Shah Rukh Khan was quick to respond to his tweet. As the presenter of the film, he said, “Saw the film when it was doing Festival rounds and it touched a chord with the whole team at @RedChilliesEnt Am so moved you appreciate. It’s a sad truth that character actors get forgotten. Look after yourself my friend and be safe & healthy.”

Sanjay Mishra recently spoke to a daily and said that when the emotions of a film connect, language is not the issue. He said that though neither he nor his mother have read Paulo’s books, he told her that he is a well-known author. She said to Sanjay that his father would be proud of him. He said that he received congratulatory messages from his father’s civil services colleagues too.

As Paulo mentioned how a Brazilian actor committed suicide, Sanjay revealed that many of his friends are currently jobless due to lockdown. He said that those who have jobs could lose it one day but some of them didn’t even have it to begin with. He further said this goes for the senior artistes who get written off irrespective of their contribution to the cinema. Sanjay Mishra said that an actor is also society’s responsibility.

The story revolves around how a character actor after his retirement is all set to make a record of 500 films and continue his hustle. Sanjay Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal starred n the film as Mishra had undergone a prosthetics transformation for every character shown on-screen.

Kaamyaab had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival followed by screenings at Festival du film d'Asie du Sud Paris, New York City South Asian Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Shanghai International Film Festival, as well as the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

ALSO READ: Author Paulo Coelho appreciates Shah Rukh Khan for Kaamyaab; actor reveals why he produced it

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Kaamyaab makes you feel sad about the condition of character actors in the movies, but it won't hold you for too long, says Moumita Bhattacharjee.