Sharat Saxena recalled how his career suffered a major setback after the release of Ghulam, even though his performance was appreciated.

Veteran actor Sharat Saxena, who has worked in films like Sherni, Dabangg 3 and Race 3, recently opened up about the time in his life when he was struggling to find work after appearing in Aamir Khan’s 1998 film Ghulam. Sharat shared that it was Aamir Khan who suggested his name for the film, which eventually fetched him an nomination as the Best Villain at Filmfare Awards.

Sharat, in a chat with Rajshri Unplugged, said that Aamir suggested his name for the role of Ronnie because he felt that Sharat would “look good in a boxer’s role.” Sharat recalled that after the film was a success, he met Aamir at the producer’s house for a party and asked the actor as to why he thought of him for this role. “He said whenever I have seen you, I have seen you in small roles but you always do them well, which is why I suggested your name,” Sharat recalled.

But, unfortunately, Sharat did not get any work even after Ghulam’s success. The actor recalled that the film industry “shut down” because shortly after the release of the film, Gulshan Kumar was assassinated which caused a lot of worry in the film industry. “No one was announcing films, no one was releasing films,” he recalled and said that it affected his career badly. “I did not get the work I could have gotten in that period, this was a tragedy in my life,” he said.

Ghulam also starred Rani Mukerji and Deepak Tijori, and was directed by Vikram Bhatt.

Sharat Saxena first gained attention after he appeared in Kaala Patthar. He has since appeared in prominent roles in films like Shakti, Karma, Mr India, Soldier, Saathiya, Baghban, Bajrangi Bhaijaan among many others.