People say I didn’t get my due, I say kam kaam karke sukoon mila, zyada karke naa milta shaayad

The senior actor who is enjoying a variety of roles in the last few years including, Panchyat, Jamun and Manohar Pandey, talks about choices, craft of acting and the industry.

Characters might be funny but there is no character such as a comedian!” says Raghubir Yadav, who has entertained audiences with a variety of roles, including some which had a streak of comedy, but feels “comedians ka koi role nahin hota” He admits that there was a time when people tried to stereotype him as a comedian and he did limited work. “Back in 90s, I’d get only comic roles. But it was a chichora daur, and many actors would do cheap comedy for money. I turned down comic roles, would struggle a lot and worked only when I liked the roles. I had done so much theatre that I would add layers to my characters. I realised that people’s intentions in this business change due to money. After struggling, actors take on roles they don’t believe in just to earn money and survive, then they get spoilt and think maybe this is the way of life. Why lose your beliefs for the other’s pleasures? You have to decide what kind of life you want to live. Doosron ke luft ke liye, apna imaan khona galat hai,” he says. The senior actor, who is enjoying a variety of roles in the last few years including, the web show Panchyat, film Jamun, is currently shooting for director Kaushik Ganguly’s Manohar Pandey. With films including Salaam Bombay (1988), Bandit Queen (1994), Lagaan (2011), Peepli Live (2010) Newton (2017), among others, ask him about missed career opportunities, and he says, “I never think of such things. I was destined to get what I got. I don’t want to be negative and become weak in the process. People say I didn’t get my due but what do they know what is my due? Kam kaam karke sukoon mila, zyada karke naa milta shaayad. I always worked for audiences’ appreciation. Maybe I got more than my due (laughs).”