Sharman Joshi Birthday: 7 Best Roles of the Rang De Basanti Actor That Endeared Him To the Fans

An extremely talented actor with a not-so-great career manager, is what we can call how Sharman Joshi fits in Bollywood. Once upon a time, Sharman's fortunes were on the rise, being part of huge blockbusters in the first decade of this century. And then, some poor career choices (the biggest being falling out of Golmaal franchise) didn't let him scale the heights of what could have been an awesome career. While the actor has been seen in last year's big hit Mission Mangal, the move was a ladies and Akshay Kumar show all the way. The actor still has to find the kind of footing he had gained in his Rang De Basanti and 3 Idiots days. Baarish 2 Teaser: Asha Negi and Sharman Joshi's Passionate Love story in ALTBalaji Series Is Beautiful But Filled With Hardships (Watch Video).

Sharman Joshi belongs to a family of theatre artistes. His father, Arvind Joshi is considered a veteran in Gujarati theatre and also had a small role in Ramesh Sippy's Sholay. His sister is Manasi Joshi Roy, and she and her husband Rohit Roy are popular actors. Why, Sharman Joshi's in-laws also having acting credentials, with his sasurji being none other than the inimitable Prem Chopra.

Sharman Joshi, after working in theatre, entered Bollywood with the 1999 film Godmother, where he played Shabana Azmi's son. N Chandra's Style was his first film in the lead, and was also his first box office success. But it was in 2006, where his career got the push that it needed with Rang De Basanti. Golmaal and 3 Idiots followed, and Sharman even had the lead in Rajkumar Hirani's production, Ferrari Ki Sawaari. And then things we mentioned in the first para happened.

On Sharman Joshi's 48th birthday, here's looking at the seven roles that endeared the actor to our hearts.

Style/Xcuse Me

Sharman's breakout success was as the street-smart student-cum-conman in this comedy, that had him paired with Sahil Khan. Compared to his co-star's errr... teakish performance, Sharman manages to let his comic skills shine throughout, overshadowing everyone in the film. He was in a better form in the superior sequel, Xcuse Me, that unfortunately didn't work at the box office. Quarantine & Chill! 10 Bollywood ‘Under-the-Radar’ Comedies to Cheer You Up While on COVID-19 Lockdown (and Where to Watch Them).

Rang De Basanti

As Sukhi, Sharman was a hoot as the collegian who is happy with his friends and alcohol, and worrying if he will die a virgin. But it is in the latter portions of the film where the theatre experience in the actor shines, when he engages in some powerful verbal volleys with his friends blinded by revenge, making those scenes even more intense. Despite his character being the least-developed, Sharman makes the most of those scenes. Rang De Basanti Replay: 10 Things We Learnt While Re-Watching Aamir Khan, Siddharth and Soha Ali Khan’s Film During Lockdown.

Golmaal

Sharman Joshi was the original Laxman in Rohit Shetty's blockbuster franchise, playing the role to perfection in the first film. The meek Laxman was bullied by his friends, especially Gopal (Ajay Devgn), in being part of their nefarious schemes. But as the film progresses, we realise Laxman isn't as innocent as he wants the world to see him. And the actor plays the role with a devilish charm! Sadly, he was ousted from the sequel, being replaced by Shreyas Talpade. Hera Pheri, Yes Boss, Sadma And Many More - 15 Awesome Bollywood Movies You Can Legally Watch For Free On YouTube.

Life in a... Metro

In Anurag Basu's multi-narrative drama, Sharman plays the lead in the part that is inspired by the classic Hollywood film, The Apartment. Sharman plays a corporate executive who gives out his apartment to his seniors for their clandestine meetings so that he can get his promotion in the company easily. But his plans go for a toss, when his superior brings the girl he is in love with at the apartment, leaving him in a dilemma.

Raqeeb

Raqeeb is an underrated thriller, directed by Kesari fame Anurag Singh. The movie is a dark twisted love quadrangle involving Rahul Khanna, Tanushree Dutta, Sharman Joshi and Jimmy Shergill's characters, with Sharman being the surprise package, playing a character with grey shades.

3 Idiots

3 Idiots need so introduction, with every character gaining cult status over the years. While the focus is on Aamir Khan's Rancho/Phunsukh Wangdu, Sharman Joshi also makes his mark as Raju Rastogi, who comes from a family with limited means and wants to do best in his course, even if he isn't as skilled as his best friend. Chetan Bhagat Birthday Special: From Salman Khan’s Hello to Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, Ranking All Film Adaptations of Author’s Books From Worst to Best.

Ferrari Ki Sawaari

Sharman Joshi plays a single father in this feel-good film, directed by Rajesh Mapuskar and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani. To make sure his cricket-ambitious son meet his idiol, Sachin Tendulkar, the honest man tries everthing he can in his power - including stealing the Ferrari owned by the cricket legend!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2020 09:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).