‘Mom dressed me as Krishna, I wanted prasad’

The calm demeanour of Saurabh Raaj Jain while portraying Krishna/ Vishnu on television has been loved and appreciated by many, especially during the rerun of shows Mahabharata and Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev in the lockdown. And now, on Janmashtami, Jain fondly recollects how his first stint with playing Krishna goes back to his childhood, in Delhi.

“I remember my mother getting me ready in Krishna’s attire for an event in a temple nearby. I was so young, I did not think I’ll reprise the role in future; I only cared for prasad,” he chuckles.

The Delhi boy remembers his college days, when he was pursuing a computer applications course, and how he would hang around his college in Kalkaji. “It was less about the fav spots, and more about being with friends. We roamed around Nehru Place, many a times for our assignments, but mostly just for ‘time pass’. College days were fun; from canteen gluttony to bunking for movies to participating in events, I did all of that,” he says.

Acting came calling when he was in second year. “Acting was something I never thought I’d be part of, but I wanted to have a career in something creative,” he says, sharing how he later moved to Mumbai and became a household name with his depiction of popular mythological characters. Ask how was his experience to be part of shows that have millions of viewers even after years, and Jain says, “My experience doing these shows was fulfilling, and to see it running once again and being appreciated, is overwhelming. I’ve always believed I did not play the character, it played me. And I like to believe it did change me for good, both as a person and as an actor. People still ask me to dress up (as Krishna) and attend events, but I don’t do appearances in Krishna’s attire.”

Jain will keep Janmashtami celebrations subdued this year. “I plan to celebrate Janmashtmi at home with my family for everyone’s safety,” he concludes.

Mallika Bhagat

While theatres are gearing up to reopen, OTT platforms continue to be an option for film releases. Radhika Madan says while she is open to her films releasing digitally, she feels choosing a platform for release should be dependent on the content of the film.

“If a film is one that needs to be seen in theatres, then it should get a theatrical release. My film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hotaa (2018), Simmba (2018) or the upcoming Sooryavanshi are the type of films to be experienced with people, with popcorn in your hand because it is made for that experience. It all depends on the content. The rest is fine because ultimately the end goal is that a film should reach out to people,” she shares.

Madan also points out that the OTTs are a win-win for smaller films which would struggle to get a certain number of screens or even theatres for release.

“OTT release se sabse zyada fayda small films ko hoti hai. Theatres would always overlook small films. That problem is solved now. Everything is equal on OTT platforms. It is not that ‘oh the film was not promoted well and the other was promoted well’. It is up to the people to decide if they want to watch or not. There is no divide between big or small-budget films,” adds the actor, who will be next seen in Shiddat, whose release status and date is still undecided.

Madan, meanwhile, is in Delhi with her parents. Even as the entertainment industry has restarted shooting, Madan has no immediate plans to go on a set. The actor says that she has no idea how makers are planning to resume shooting as she does not know how safe that is.

“I don’t know if they are actually doing tests. Actors are not even wearing any mask or shields and I wonder if that is safe? I have a quite a few questions in my head right now. I am yet to start any new project but whatever will start next will only happen when things get better,” she says.

Juhi Chakraborty

And before she does that, Madan says she would want her producers and directors to give answers to all her questions. “Because I am going to have a lot of them, but I think they are going to keep everybody’s safety in mind for sure,” she concludes.

Kavita Awaasthi

RADHIKA MADAN