Saurabh Shukla returns from break for his directorial; to shoot remaining portions of King

Saurabh Shukla. Pics/AFP, Instagram, Youtube

In the last few years, the actor in Saurabh Shukla had taken a backseat as he helmed his Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia-starrer Jab Khuli Kitaab, and then worked towards its release. Slowly but surely, acting called out to him. Shukla, who shot Subedaar earlier, is now gearing up to resume the shoot of Shah Rukh Khan's King, which also features the superstar's daughter Suhana Khan. "I shot for it [last year], and I will shoot the remaining portions [soon]," he says.

Saurabh Shukla's directorial venture, ‘Jab Khuli Kitaab', premièred online on March 6

Taking a break from acting to shape his directorial venture meant letting go of the financial security that acting projects offer. But Shukla believes the pay-off is richer. He shares, "From an actor's perspective, [taking a break] is difficult, it's also stupid at times. But when I was living it, it was easy. Physically, I cannot be present at two places."

Shah Rukh Khan in ‘King'

Last week, he had two releases - while Anil Kapoor's Subedaar dropped on Prime Video, Jab Khuli Kitaab began streaming on Zee5 - each showing a different facet of his art. Acting, directing, and writing can be too much to handle, but Shukla has too many dreams to fulfil in this lifetime. "I'm a firm believer that there is only one life. So, I have no plans of saying, ‘I will act in this life, and direct in the next,'" he smiles, adding that writing hones one's acting. "I always say, ‘If you want to be an actor, please write. Look at paintings, sing, pursue music because it gives you a sense of rhythm. Everything is interrelated."

The actor was recently seen in the Anil Kapoor-starrer ‘Subedaar'