Indian Actor Shardul Bhardwaj Picked Garbage For His Film

Shardul Bhardwaj plays the lead role in Suman Ghosh’s The Scavenger of Dreams that premiered at the Busan Internmational Film Festival 2023. In an exclusive interview, Bhardwaj reveals his prep for the film, the lessons that he learned while preparing for his role in a dumpyard in India, and much more. Directed by Suman Ghosh, the film is also set to be screened at the ongoing MAMI Film Festival in India’s Mumbai.

Bhardwaj recalls shooting the film in real locations, and how it took him sometime to get used to the stench prevelant in garbage yards. “I made friends with them (waste collectors) while researching for the film. Most of the ragpickers in the film are non-actors and they were not even aware of the camera when we shot, because we spent quite some time with them before the shoot and made them comfortable enough.”