People today have no tolerance, says Rajit Kapur
Actor Rajit Kapur, who has been a prominent face in Bollywood films and the theatre circuit for over 25 years, doesn’t mince words when you ask him about the growing intolerance towards Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati. “It’s totally ridiculous. We have so many important things to talk about, but what are we really talking about? A period that is gone by, and trying to compare it — why? I don’t understand the hue and cry about it (Padmavati). In some ways, I feel that we were far more progressive a hundred years ago than we are today!” says the actor, who made his debut with Shyam Benegal’s Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda in 1992, and acted in films such as Guzaarish (2010), and more recently, Begum Jaan (2017) and Baar Baar Dekho (2016).
“Today, we are talking about tolerance and universal compatibility, which has gone out of the window suddenly. People’s sentiments are getting hurt, what crap! Like this, anyone’s sentiments can get hurt, then what should I do? Where’s the end to it? It’s appalling that we have absolutely no tolerance today. You have to look at things in a larger perspective, you can’t take everything personally,’ adds Rajit. He will next be seen in a short film, Mehram opposite veteran actor Farida Jalal.
Asked about his role, he tells us, “He’s the person incharge of the Haj committee. The film is an emotional journey between these two characters. What the film talks about is, where do you draw the line where rules are concerned. Sometimes, an exception is important, and that’s a judgement call everyone has to take.”
In some ways, I feel that we were far more progressive a hundred years ago than we are today RAJIT KAPUR, ACTOR