While talking to Amar Ujala, Kamlesh Sawant said that getting the role of Inspector Gaitonde in Drishyam was no less than a big opportunity for him. He had earlier worked with director Nishikant Kamat in many projects. He was called to give a look test for the film. He first asked for two days' time to talk to his producer and then gave the audition. He did not expect that he would be selected so soon. About 12 days after the look test, a call came that he had been selected for the role of Gaitonde. This news was very special for him.
The actor told that some time before the shooting he had received a script of about 290 pages. Shooting was to take place the next day so it was not easy to read the entire script. In such a situation, he separated the parts related to his character and read about 90 pages. The experience of working with his mentor Vijay Laxman Khanolkar in theater proved to be very helpful for him. During his time in theatre, he also understood direction and other technical aspects along with acting. This made it easier for him to understand the needs of the scenes and the dialogues of other artists.
After the release of Drishyam, reactions from the audience started coming in regarding Gaitonde's character. Some viewers became so angry with the police officer who showed strictness with the children in the film that they associated the actor with that character. Kamlesh Sawant told that when a woman told him to break his face with a slipper, he got scared. They felt that someone might misbehave with them. He asked his driver to leave from there. Meanwhile, his wife explained to him that the audience was not abusing Kamlesh Sawant but Gaitonde. His wife's words made him realize that the audience's displeasure could actually be an indication of the effectiveness of his acting.
Kamlesh shared another emotional anecdote. He told that after seeing the scenes of harsh treatment of children in the film, a girl of about two years had messaged him from her father's phone. The girl believed that Swara's father could not hit children in real life and he was shown wrong in the film. The actor became emotional after reading this message. He felt that even young viewers try to understand the difference between the character seen on screen and the real person.
It was also not easy for him to do tough scenes with child artiste Mrinal Jadhav, who played the character of Anu Salgaokar in the film. According to Kamlesh, the girl had to fall repeatedly in one scene. He also used to apologize to the children after such scenes so that they understand that this is all a part of acting. In real life, he likes to spend time with children and play with them.
Kamlesh Sawant believes that Drishyam gave a new identity to his career. He was working continuously earlier also but after this film the audience started recognizing him as Gaitonde. According to him, the success of the film improved his identity in the industry and his position in negotiating the remuneration for his work. The biggest achievement for him is that the audience still remembers his character and reacts to it.