Theatre is my backbone: Rajesh Tailang

Rajesh Tailang has acquired more success than before due to the popular web shows Delhi Crime and Selection Day. While he is “happy to be getting better offers and getting recognition”, the actor who started his career in theatre, reveals that’s where he honed his talent. He says, “I began doing theatre as a child artiste and later joined the National School of Drama. But, my career in front of the camera began with the TV show, Shanti, 25 years ago followed by many projects. In between the big and small roles, I kept doing theatre. In fact, there was a time in my career, when

for five years, from 2007 to 2012, I did just theatre and no other film or TV work. I was not getting good roles and I didn’t want to do just two to four scenes in a film. I was waiting for a good role and meanwhile doing theatre and teaching in NSD was good enough for me.” He will next be seen in Commando 3 and Panga, and has been part of many films including Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998), Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005) and Mukkabaaz (2018) in the past. Talking about the last play he performed, Tailang says, “Most of the plays I have done have been fun and interesting. The last play I did was For The First Time, which had four Indian actors and five foreigners including French and Swiss actors. It was an improv play, which means we had no script. It was a lot of fun as every time we performed it was a new play. Theatre is my backbone and whatever I know about acting I have learnt in theatre. Tomorrow, even if I don’t act, I would love to teach acting.”

There was a time in my career, when for five years, from 2007 to 2012, I did just theatre. I was not getting good roles and I didn’t want to do just two scenes in a film.

RAJESH TAILANG, ACTOR