Actor Sparsh Shrivastava says he was “flooded with messages” after news broke that Laapataa Ladies had been picked as India’s entry to the Oscars.

He tells us, “Kabhi socha nahin tha ki Oscars tak chale jaenge. It happened all of a sudden. I was in a meeting and was my casting director, Romil, called me. He broke the news to me. I had never imagined that the film will become this huge and will be picked for Oscars. No one could have imagined this. We all knew that we had made a good film. We were hoping for it (Oscars), but not sure of it.”

Shrivastava shares that he’s celebrating with his family in his hometown of Agra, taking a moment to let the news sink in. “They are extremely happy about it. Meri family kafi emotional hai. Mithaiya khayi jaa rahi hai. Unki aankhon mein ansu hai. I feel great to be able to celebrate this moment with them,” says the 25-year-old.

Also Read: Pratibha Ranta reacts to Laapataa Ladies going for Oscars: Not just internationally, the film got attention in India too

For Shrivastava, who has featured in Ae Mere Watan, Jamtara and Collar Bomb (2021), among others, a ticket to the Oscars feels like a validation of the work he’s done so far: “Following the film’s release, the response I’ve received from the industry and the audience felt like ‘okay you’re on the right track’ and this only adds to it.”

Will this shape his outlook to the roles he takes up next? “Not at all,” asserts Shrivastava. He adds, “The thought behind all my roles has been ‘If it sends a message, great, but it should always entertain the viewers’. I believe if the audience is spending money to watch a film or show I’m part of, they must get value for their money and be entertained.”