Shekhar Suman has compared himself to Dilip Kumar and Aamir Khan while talking about selecting roles for projects. Speaking with Indian Express, the actor said he doesn’t “work just for the sake of being seen”. Shekhar Suman stars in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar but doesn’t want to say he made a “comeback” with the web series. He was last seen in Bhoomi (2017). (Also Read | Shekhar Suman defends Sanjay Leela Bhansali for making actors wait for a long time)

Shekhar Suman disagrees that Heeramandi marks his comeback

The actor said, “I am quintessentially a theatre actor. It is never a comeback. You are just waiting for the right role to happen. There might be a hiatus, you give it a gap, because the role has to excite me. I don’t work just for the sake of being seen that I am a part of 10 OTT series, five films.”

Shekhar Suman compares himself with Dilip Kumar, Aamir Khan

He added, “I have taken a leaf from Dilip Kumar sahab. He used to probably do one film in two-three years. Aamir Khan… they all sort of preserve themselves in a manner that people have this thirst to watch them. There is no point getting steeped into mediocrity, that is very painful for an actor. In the midst of a show or a movie you realise that you’ve made a mistake. That’s the worst feeling.”

When asked if he feels the pressure to be seen so that he gets good work, Shekhar replied in the negative. He added that though he has “a desire to be there, to be seen around”, he wants to do something that would challenge him.

Shekhar Suman, Heeramandi

Shekhar Suman portrays the character of Zulfiqar Ahmed in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial web series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Heeramandi released on May 1 on Netflix.

Set against the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s, the project promises to be an epic saga of love, power, revenge, and freedom. The cast includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Adhyayan Suman and Taha Shah Badussha.