Expertise and experience
Q. Your approach to comedy has changed over the years. It has become more subtle. How did you achieve this transition?
A. I was recently shooting with Rajkummar Rao in Haryana. It is a film where I play the role of his father. So for a particular scene, he gave such a brilliant and subdued performance that it inspired me to work harder on a sequence that was to be shot a couple of days later.
I think the present generation of actors also inspires me to change myself with time. Observing them has helped me to reinvent my acting skills. In Brick Lane [in 2007] I have given the most subdued performance of my career and still managed to touch the audiences’ hearts. I believe I can adapt myself and act according to the type of cinema I am making and the kind of platform I am on.
I am a trained actor. I have done films, TV, theatre. I have been a part of international cinema and this is what makes me different from other actors. My hunger for good roles and opportunities is not yet satisfied. I am always on the lookout for a good project and a challenging opportunity. I have been very lucky that my career graph has been completely unexpected and unique. No comedian has been able to get the kinds of roles I have got and am still getting. Most comic actors have played only one kind of role, but I have done varied roles. Maybe this is why people remember those roles even today.
Q. But there was a phase in your career when you were doing films of a similar genre and kind. Didn’t that exhaust and bore you? A. Consider it as my problem or something to do with my passion for acting, but I have never been bored. I enjoyed every role and character that I did. If you look at my smallest roles, I have enjoyed those too. I never get bored of work. Whatever role I get, I try to do it with perfection… I believe in living with honesty and being thoroughly committed to my work.
Q. What are your views on how the Hindi film industry treats its older actors? Is there ageism in Bollywood? A. To say that older actors can’t be a part of films is completely wrong. Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen are still making films in Hollywood. It is important to understand that older actors come with a lot of experience and expertise. They have so much to offer to a film and their understanding of a character is deep too. Their sensibilities can add so much to any project…
Even at my age, I have directed Kaagaz, and it is going to be one of my best works. That is because I have put in so much effort and utilised a lot of my experience in making it. Also, I have cast Pankaj Tripathi in the lead, who is also not a young actor. This will be his first film as the lead.
Age is just not a problem if you have the talent and are hungry for good work… Young actors these days are very concerned with the success of their films. What they don’t understand is that if one film fails, it is not the end of the world. Because with age and experience you learn so much more.
Q. You’ve also made Marathi and Haryanvi films. Do you see any potential in regional cinema? Can these films appeal to a global audience?
A. I have always believed that regional cinema has huge potential and we need to push stories that originate from the heart of India. In addition to this, the audience for regional cinema is getting bigger too. People living in other countries can also watch our films now, through the digital medium, with the help of subtitles.
Q. Character actors are getting impactful roles these days. How do you think that has changed the dynamics of India cinema? A. Look at Badhaai Ho, the roles played by Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao are amazing. Hats off to Ayushmann Khurrana to have selected a subject like that. It is really good for our cinema that the limelight is now being shared between lead actors and these character actors equally… But even in the ’90s I never faced issues like these. In most of my films with Govinda, I received equal prominence and was equally important to the script.
Q. The industry has also moved away from the trend of fixed casting. We don’t see actors playing similar roles these days. Do you think that has pushed actors to perform better and offer something new to the audiences with each of their projects?
A. Of course, this has become challenging. But it is because of this challenge that Hindi cinema is now in its best phase. The industry has become very professional and sensible decisions are being made by both actors and directors. Directors wouldn’t want to do similar kinds of projects and actors, too, believe in proving themselves to be versatile. I don’t think Shahid Kapoor will be playing an aggressive character right after the success of Kabir Singh. He would like to do something different. And I think this is adding to the diversity of our cinema and our films. Actors are working so hard these days, and they don’t mind undergoing extreme transformations to look different in each of their films. Times have changed for the better. Earlier, lead actors would do 15 films with a similar kind of role and look. But now it is completely different. That is why the audience is getting to see a lot of variety in our content. All this adds to the success of our films, not just in India but globally as well.