An Indian actor who had no intention of becoming an actor. The guy who was helped by a lucky chance, making him famous after the first role he played. Now there are 18 works in his filmography, and this is just the beginning.
Biography
Suraj Sharma was born on March 21, 1993 in New Delhi (India). He didn't do very well in school and had no idea who he wanted to become. I was thinking about the profession of an economist, like my mother, but later he was glad that he did not follow this path, because office work was not for him. I helped my dad, a software engineer, assemble and repair computers, but he did not become an expert in this area either. But quite by accident (though not by accident, if you think about it), he became a very popular actor after the release of the film "Life of Pi" in 2012. And later appeared:
· "Hand in a Million" (2014);
· "Umrika" (2015);
· "Burn your cards" (2016);
· "Happy New Day of Death" (2019);
· "Killer" (2019)
and other full-length and television films, among which the Motherland series (running from 2011 to the present) occupies an important place. And if "Life of Pi" is Suraj's first film, then "Homeland" is his first series. Without a professional acting education, Suraj takes on any role, gaining experience, considering shooting an acting school.
Suraj's most recent work is the sitcom Little America, which premiered on January 17, 2020.
Fateful tests. Carier start
For the company with his brother, who was already an actor, Suraj Sharma went to the casting of the film "Life of Pi". At that time, Suraj had all ideas about the acting profession only from the stories of his brother. Although a couple of times he played in school plays, for example, a tree, but such an experience could hardly be seriously useful at the casting. And all the more surprising is the fact that out of several thousand applicants for the main role, the choice fell on him. Director Ang Lee was attracted by the purity and openness of his appearance. We can say that Sharma had a special charm! Ang Lee saw in him Pi, the hero of Martel's novel, based on which the film was filmed, his charm, modesty, physique. And Suraj's inexperience became his trump card.
Suraj said that he was very fond of Ang Lee's films, but when he saw the director at the audition, he could not even read the text out of excitement! Lee talked to him, calmed him down, and after 5 minutes Suraj was able to control himself and read the text properly. And then he was invited to the next round of tests. There were 7 of them in total! And Suraj was approved for the role. At the same time, the brother was not offended.
The film literally turned Suraj's whole life upside down. His career begins with Life of Pi. He already understands what he wants to do, what interests him: now this is creativity and cinema.
First shooting
The film "Life of Pi" is about a young man, the son of a zoo owner, who survived a shipwreck. The main character finds himself on a boat in the middle of the ocean in the company of a tiger and other animals. In the film, there are many shots in water and underwater, and Suraj did not know how to swim. In 10 days he learned to swim in the pool. However, this was not enough for his instructors, and on one of the rest days they offered Suraj to go kayaking. He agreed, but far from the shore, cunning instructors overturned the boat! Suraj was very scared, but when, on the advice of his teachers, he could relax, he calmed down and swam. So he finally learned to swim, and then he fell in love with this occupation.
I swam for 4 hours a day for 3 months and lost a lot of weight. Yoga and meditation sessions helped to hold the breath for a long time. This and complete silence for a month at the director's request allowed him to feel what his character should have felt: fatigue, hunger, loneliness, fear.
On the set, there was no ocean, no tiger in the boat. And there was only a blue screen, at which Suraj was looking, and all this was imagining.
In life, Suraj's family is not very religious, but in the novel Pi is a polytheist, and therefore Suraj had to study several religions, listen to choral and ritual music, and delve into the meaning. He re-read the novel several times, comprehending his philosophy.
In general, it was a serious job, the film was shot for 4 years!
Personal life
If the hero of Suraj turns from a boy into a man, fighting the elements, then during the filming Suraj himself does the same. From a careless, not really busy young man, he turns into a serious, hardworking, self-confident and self-satisfied man.
Despite the film's success, Sharma returns to St Stephen's College at the University of Delhi to continue her studies. Fame doesn't spoil him. He never considered himself a sociable person, and after the release of the film, with an increase in interest in himself, he doubted whether he needed all this "tinsel". Suraj does not tolerate attention well, he feels like a bird in a cage. But on the other hand, it becomes clear why he, unusually modest and not conceited, was chosen for the role of Pi Ang Lee.
Suraj has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, but only to sometimes exchange a few words with friends. The rest of the time, he is inactive in them.
Despite the improved financial situation, Suraj does not scatter money, but, on the contrary, saves. She pays for her studies at New York University, where she is taking a course in mass communications as a journalist, and combines it with filming a movie. And he is also thinking of opening a football school, because since childhood he played football and was a fan of Manchester United.
Such a young, modest and already well-to-do free man, of course, arouses the interest of girls, but, as Suraj admits in an interview, he does not have time for this: everything takes work and getting an education.
A family
Daddy - Gokul Churai;
Mom - Shailaja Sharma;
Younger brother - Sriharsh Sharma;
The younger sister is Dhruvatara Sharma.
Awards
Voted Best Young Actor 2012 by the Las Vegas Film Critics community, he is the recipient of the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor and the MTV Award for Best Fright in 2013. And the film "Life of Pi", which is considered one of the best in his career, was nominated for 11 Oscars and won 4 nominations.
