‘GLAD I PLAYED BYOMKESH BAKSHI’

Actor Rajit Kapur, who will be in the city for a play, is glad that his portrayal of the ’90s detective is remembered even today

The moment Rajit Kapur says his name, he’s almost prepared to hear the next question: Do you mean [actor] Rajat Kapoor? It’s been happening for so many years, that Kapur says that the two [Rajat] of them just laugh it off now. “There’s nothing really that we can do. We both are almost the same age, he’s just a little older, and there’s just a difference between ‘a’ and ‘i’ in our names and ‘u’ and ‘oo’ in our surnames. Just the other day, there was somebody who called looking for him saying we met in Delhi and I said you have called the wrong person, this is Rajit not Rajat, and he thought I was fooling him!” says the 56-year-old actor who was last seen in the recentlyreleased Vidya Balan-starrer Begum Jaan.

A regular in both theatre and films, Kapur shot to fame with his portrayal of detective Byomkesh Bakshi on television and till date feels grateful for being part of the cult show. “I find it quite unbelievable that even 25 years later it has left such a mark. It’s a classic and I’m lucky that I was the one who did it and created such an impact that the show has left a stamp.”

Kapur is set to make his stage appearance in Delhi again, with actor Naseeruddin Shah, in the much-acclaimed play A Walk in The Woods directed by actor Ratna Pathak Shah. Is Ratna a strict director? “Yes, a stickler, which is good because it keeps you on your toes. Otherwise, after so many years, you sometimes want to fall back to your comfort level. Someone like her (Ratna), who knows you, makes you work because you can’t take chances,” he adds.

It’s a classic and I’m lucky that I was the one who did it and created such an impact. The show has left a stamp RAJIT KAPUR, ACTOR

HT PHOTO

Actor Rajit Kapur shares the stage with actor Naseeruddin Shah in the play, A Walk in The Woods.