Actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya talks in an exclusive interview about his acting journey so far. He reveals being judged for his dark skin. With multiple OTT hits like Undekhi and Poacher, the actor discusses how one should choose his career.
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00:00He's dark-skinned. So I thought, okay, that's what happened.
00:06I bleached my hair twice in one night.
00:08The next day, I had a shoot.
00:10My hair was gone.
00:12I had blisters.
00:14You shouldn't aspire for a career.
00:17You should have a career in what you're good at.
00:21I was an aspiring footballer.
00:24I was an aspiring cricketer.
00:26But I couldn't play at that level.
00:28The rent was Rs.1500.
00:30At that time, it felt like Rs.1500 was too much.
00:33If I had asked for Rs.1800, I would have asked for Rs.300 less.
00:45You know, I've been such an admirer of your work.
00:47And now I'm happy to be meeting the man behind that work.
00:53I was watching an interview of yours.
00:56You said something about racism being a part of cinema.
01:02Where dark-skinned people are dark characters.
01:06But I don't agree. You've been doing such lovely characters.
01:09Yeah, yeah, of course.
01:11It is not like, quote-unquote, I've ever faced racism.
01:16I haven't faced it.
01:18Recently, I did a show called Andekhi.
01:24When the season 1 of Andekhi was being casted,
01:30I had given everything to Loocter's.
01:34But I still didn't get casted.
01:36They were working with someone else.
01:39Later, I found out that they shot for a few days.
01:43But they didn't like it.
01:45Then they came to me.
01:47Then they came back to you.
01:48Then they came back to me.
01:49Later, I found out that the creators of the show, Siddharth Sen Gupta,
01:52they were really keen to work with me.
01:54And I was also quite keen to work with good people.
01:58I've always been like that.
02:00Later, I found out that, in an interview, Ashish had said,
02:03someone had asked,
02:05why did you take so long to cast Debu?
02:10Everyone had done a workshop.
02:13They had gone into a groove.
02:17I was the last person to join the group.
02:21That day, I found out.
02:25He said, it was because of his dark skin.
02:29So, I thought, okay, it happened.
02:35Then, of course, such things happen.
02:39But such things exist in life.
02:41In India, such things exist.
02:45If you go to the marriage market,
02:51you have to sell Fair and Lovely.
02:54And you always need friends.
02:58So, it exists.
03:00A little bit.
03:02A little bit.
03:03A little bit.
03:04A little bit.
03:05But it has not come in the way of your career, especially lately.
03:10No.
03:11I mean, from the beginning, I never paid much attention to these things in life.
03:15So, that is…
03:16One of my things is that I don't give much importance to anyone in life.
03:21Okay.
03:22Neither do I give myself.
03:23Alright.
03:24So, by giving more importance, you start expecting a lot from things.
03:30And you get disappointed very quickly.
03:35You feel that…
03:36But taking life and everything too seriously.
03:38Too seriously, yeah.
03:39It's like very easy.
03:41So, I have a philosophy in life.
03:43If I meet a student, if I am mentoring someone,
03:48I always tell them, take your life as easy, as simple as possible.
03:52Because the art you are dealing with is very complex.
03:55Yeah.
03:56And a complicated one.
03:57Because you have to put…
03:58You have to be in somebody else's shoes.
04:01Like, you know, you go in their clothes, you go in their attire,
04:05you go to their parithan, you go to their climates.
04:08I mean, you grow up in Kolkata, where there is humidity, it's sunny.
04:15You are acting somewhere in Siberia.
04:18So, you have to imagine the climate there.
04:22Absolutely.
04:23So, all these things are very complex.
04:26External, internal, all of it.
04:28All of it.
04:29And then, we are told that if you do a good character,
04:35it means that the character should come forward.
04:37And you should go back as an actor.
04:39So, there are a lot of invisible factors in art.
04:43You can't shout and say repeatedly,
04:45I am Divbindu Bhattacharya.
04:46I am Divbindu's character.
04:48Look at me.
04:49See me.
04:50No.
04:51See the character.
04:52See the character.
04:53So, that's there.
04:54So, we have been seeing you as Neel in Pochar,
04:58which is really fantastic actually.
05:00I love the show itself.
05:02Fabulous show.
05:04It's a fantastic show actually.
05:05Fantastic show by a fantastic maker.
05:07Yes.
05:08That is very important, isn't it?
05:10Because art in the end of the day, cinema,
05:12I have always known that cinema is a director's medium.
05:18Absolutely.
05:19A director, who is a spectator,
05:22if he doesn't have vision in that,
05:24And he is also a writer himself.
05:26He is also a writer himself.
05:27And it's not like he writes a script in a week.
05:30Yes, I know.
05:31It takes 3-4 years to work on a project.
05:34To work on a project, research, then his casting.
05:37So, he knows everything.
05:39And the beautiful thing is that,
05:41Malayalee original,
05:43and half of the people are Malayalee people,
05:47like 75% of the cast is Malayalee cast,
05:50and almost like 60% or 70% is Malayalee people speaking.
05:56That's right.
05:57That also he understands.
05:58Because he understands, he is so prepared,
06:01that he knows all the bits,
06:03that he knows,
06:04till this point, the emotion has to change.
06:06Why didn't it happen?
06:07Correct.
06:08Then he goes and asks.
06:09So, it is.
06:10So, he is one.
06:12And the actors of course,
06:14they are really beautiful.
06:16I mean, Nimisha was so perfect for that role.
06:19Because there you had her Malayalee phase,
06:22in the Kerala ambience.
06:25It was just perfect.
06:27And you blended so well with it.
06:29Although you were not the Malayalee factor.
06:32Yeah, I am not the Malayalee factor,
06:34but I am there.
06:35So, I also spoke 6 lines in Malayalee.
06:38You spoke in Malayalam.
06:39I spoke in Malayalam.
06:41In Kerala also, many critics have said,
06:44that my Malayalam was okay.
06:46So, you did a little bit of Malayalam also in that.
06:49Yeah.
06:50And passed off as a Malayalee.
06:51Not as a Malayalee,
06:52but as a person who could speak.
06:54He is a North Indian,
06:56born and brought up in Delhi.
06:58A Bengali guy,
06:59like Chitrajan Park,
07:00Subrata Park,
07:01who are Bengalis,
07:02he is a Bengali,
07:03who was born and brought up there.
07:04So, he is ex-Raw.
07:05All these things.
07:06After that,
07:08he came here and is working in the field.
07:11So, a beautiful part of Richie is that,
07:16the connection,
07:19the stitching.
07:20That guy is coming from Delhi.
07:24So, he is coming with that breathing problem,
07:26with this thing and all.
07:28And what is,
07:29that is because,
07:30this is the largest scenario,
07:31because of everything is getting extinct,
07:33trees are being cut.
07:34You know,
07:35this is a very big show,
07:38and this is the beautiful thing,
07:40if you understand that.
07:43Absolutely.
07:44And it was wonderful that Alia Bhatt,
07:46backed it, you know,
07:47as a producer.
07:48Alia, it was great that,
07:51because,
07:52it is very important that,
07:55if there is a socially pertinent story,
07:58equally,
08:00if a celebrity,
08:02actually an icon,
08:04promotes that thing,
08:06so that is,
08:08it adds a dimension to it.
08:12And it is also good from their side,
08:14that there is that greatness,
08:16that they are associating with this kind of project.
08:20That is also socially relevant,
08:22because,
08:23at the end of the day,
08:24art is an entertainment,
08:26but also a message.
08:27Absolutely.
08:28And you got to have a little bit of a conscience.
08:30Yeah, yeah, exactly.
08:31As an actor also, you got to have some conscience.
08:33Conscience to chahiye,
08:34because we are all artists,
08:35so we know what is like,
08:37we are not judgmental.
08:38Right.
08:39We are not judgmental,
08:40but we understand,
08:41what is actually good for the nation,
08:42what is not good for the nation,
08:44what is good for the world,
08:45and what is not good for the world.
08:46Yes.
08:47So ek,
08:48because actors,
08:49or artists,
08:51kahi na kahi ek psychoanalysis bhi hota hai.
08:53Yeah.
08:54Matlab, kahi,
08:55because,
08:56unke ek alag perception bhi hota hai,
08:58life ke baare mein.
08:59Woh life ko thora sa,
09:00mujhe lagta hai,
09:01artist ek aisa community hai,
09:02jo life ko thora sa,
09:03subjectively,
09:04objectively bhi dekh sakta hai.
09:06Yeah,
09:07because you are all the time
09:08analysing the characters you are playing,
09:09and there is such a variety you are playing.
09:11Yeah,
09:12aur mujhe toh lagta hai,
09:13har insan ko,
09:14har artist ko,
09:15self-introspect mein jaana,
09:16bahot zaruri hai.
09:17Kyunke,
09:18self-introspect mein jaana ke baad hi,
09:20aapko pata chalta hai,
09:21ki aap kitne paani mein ho,
09:22aap satay mein ho,
09:23ya deep mein ho,
09:24gehraay mein ho,
09:25kahan ho.
09:26So,
09:27so,
09:28woh har ek artist ke saath toh
09:29continuously hona chahiye,
09:30aur,
09:31matlab ek,
09:32icon ke saath toh hona hi chahiye.
09:33But aap karte ho?
09:34Bilkul karte ho.
09:35Self-analysis?
09:36Bilkul karte ho.
09:37Main 24x7,
09:38main amesha,
09:39apne aapko,
09:40matlab main aaj ke tarikh mein bhi,
09:41mere performance dekh ke,
09:42main khush nahi ho pata ho,
09:43kabhi kabar mujhe lagta hai,
09:44ki yaar,
09:45pata nahi,
09:46mujhe,
09:47main nahi dekh sakta hai,
09:48kyunke yeh kuch aur bhi ho sakta tha,
09:49kuch aur kar sakta hai.
09:50You could have done something more to it.
09:51Multiple dimension mein aap,
09:52ek,
09:53kirdaar ko leke jaa sakte ho.
09:54That's right.
09:55How did you get this,
09:56role of Neel?
09:57Because of Mukesh Chhabra.
09:58Acha,
09:59okay,
10:00casting agent.
10:01Casting,
10:02because of Mukesh Chhabra.
10:03Mukesh Chhabra ke office se phone aaya tha,
10:04Sanjay ka phone aaya tha,
10:05ki dada ek,
10:06aur,
10:07actually,
10:08kya na,
10:09usse pehle main,
10:10ek project mein,
10:11Richie ke saath main,
10:12kaam kar raha tha,
10:13wo project hui nahi,
10:14baad mein.
10:15Toh,
10:16toh at least,
10:17Murari ji,
10:18mujhe pata hai ki,
10:19who is Richie,
10:20and,
10:21fir maine,
10:22Delhi Crime dekh liya tha.
10:23Toh,
10:24mujhe tha ki,
10:25is bande ke saath toh,
10:26kaam karna hi hai.
10:27But,
10:28I'm very happy to see you,
10:29in these kind of diverse roles,
10:30you know.
10:31And,
10:32you're playing,
10:33actually,
10:34the good man,
10:35in almost all of them.
10:36Because,
10:37see,
10:38in Andekhi,
10:39you are,
10:40DSP,
10:41Varun Ghosh,
10:42who again is,
10:43you know,
10:44very dogged in his,
10:45determination to get,
10:46get those art forms.
10:47So,
10:48you know,
10:49in Maharani,
10:50I noticed that,
10:51Martin is,
10:52more doggedly,
10:53he is after that case.
10:54You know,
10:55so there is,
10:56Martin also.
10:57And,
10:58people are accepting you,
10:59in all this,
11:00even railway men.
11:01You were playing the good man.
11:02Good man,
11:03of course.
11:04You were playing the conscientious,
11:05factory worker.
11:06Yeah,
11:07yeah,
11:08yeah.
11:09So,
11:10you're being accepted,
11:11in all kinds of roles,
11:12which is really nice.
11:13Yeah,
11:14yeah,
11:15exactly.
11:16So,
11:17ek,
11:18ek say ka,
11:19ek aatage udaari,
11:20ek aatage achar,
11:21ek aata ge,
11:22ek aata sandat,
11:23ek aata kakt.
11:24I'm so excited to see you in India.
11:25Yeah,
11:26yeah.
11:27I've been following your work.
11:28Yeah.
11:29And you also have a,
11:30comic touch.
11:31Haan,
11:32sometime I do that.
11:33Because I,
11:34I also,
11:35ah,
11:36ah...
11:37Because see,
11:38the,
11:39comedy film,
11:40comedy,
11:41theatre,
11:42agarch a play ki baat kare,
11:43because the,
11:44because I'm belonged to this,
11:45that world,
11:46actually,
11:47So, in the sense of entertainment, you have to make people laugh.
11:51For the first time, you have to make people laugh.
11:53After that, slowly you go into deeper thoughts, deeper varieties,
11:57a little social irrelevance, and psychologically you get into darkness.
12:02But first of all, you want to play lighter in life.
12:06So, I think every theatre worker in their life,
12:09first of all, they have played lighter.
12:13They have played comedy.
12:15Or they have done satire.
12:19So, comedy is my...
12:21But is it something that you bring to the character, may not be there on paper.
12:25Because for instance, that DSP Varun Ghosh,
12:29who is in Andekhi,
12:31you have little dialogues, you know,
12:33you go wrong with the grammar and you say Hindi.
12:36You know Hindi and the grammar.
12:38Yeah, because...
12:39That didn't look like it was written, it seemed like it just came from you.
12:42Yeah, yeah. So, improvisation is a lot.
12:45So, after getting into one character,
12:47you start improvising things according to that character.
12:50And the way the character is,
12:53you know that the character is a little stubborn.
12:56That character, I mean,
12:59he is not understanding much of anything.
13:03And he doesn't even want to show himself.
13:05He doesn't even expose himself.
13:07He is not that transparent.
13:09So, there you get liberty.
13:11You get liberty to build this kind of character.
13:14So, suddenly he starts singing songs.
13:16Correct.
13:17Then people say, what happened, sir?
13:20But he just hums a song, doesn't say anything.
13:23Correct.
13:24So, it is a little bit of ambiguousness of the character.
13:29So, it was built very well there.
13:31So, sometimes in a character,
13:33where there is room,
13:35you should keep that.
13:36Because in life too, you laugh, you cry.
13:39Yes, of course.
13:40It is not that if there is an angry young man,
13:42he is leaving the house.
13:44So, while going to the office,
13:45he is also scolding the watchman.
13:47If a child says, hello uncle, shut up.
13:49He won't say that.
13:51Because if he says, I am an angry young man.
13:53I have to stay in this mood.
13:54It doesn't happen like that.
13:55Correct.
13:56Because there is a permanent feeling,
13:58there is a materialistic feeling,
13:59there is a maritalistic feeling,
14:00there is a fixed emotion.
14:01So, your fixed emotion,
14:03suppose your permanent feeling is that
14:05any character,
14:07any character,
14:09if it is easy,
14:11simple,
14:13and from the heart,
14:15and people can identify with it.
14:17Otherwise,
14:19people will think it is an alien character.
14:21People can never identify with it.
14:23So, I always try that
14:27I play any character,
14:29how relatable it is.
14:31I mean, how much I can relate with the audience.
14:34If I can't relate,
14:36how can the audience relate?
14:38Somehow, I can relate to that character.
14:40Otherwise, there is no meaning of that character.
14:42You know, from the killer in Makhvol,
14:45and from a smaller role in Devdi,
14:47you come up to a place where
14:49now people recognize you.
14:51And people kind of not just recognize you,
14:53but they also compliment you,
14:55and they look forward to your work.
14:57Whether it is Maharani,
14:58or whether it is Andekhi,
15:00or any of these railway men,
15:02I think they all identify with you now.
15:04So, people liked you very much in Pocho also.
15:07So, you know,
15:09does this give you satisfaction
15:11that you have come a long, long, long way?
15:13Oh, of course, of course.
15:15You really feel good
15:17when you feel connected.
15:19In earlier times,
15:21people used to see you,
15:23people used to come to you,
15:25and they used to ask,
15:27I have seen you somewhere.
15:29It was not associated with a name.
15:31I have seen you somewhere.
15:33Where were you, where were you?
15:35Then you had to tell yourself,
15:37I did this work, I did that work.
15:39Now people come to you,
15:41Hello, Mr. Divyendri.
15:43Hello, Mr. Divyendri.
15:45So, that association is very important.
15:47Connecting with a name.
15:49So, that is one thing.
15:51And one more thing,
15:53life is almost like,
15:55life is still remaining,
15:57but for so many years,
15:59theatre, cinema,
16:01so we will keep doing all these things.
16:03So, is this where you wanted to be?
16:05Where you are offered a variety of roles?
16:09And you are accepted in any role?
16:11Frankly speaking, Bharti ji,
16:13I never thought about my future
16:15in my life.
16:17I never thought, I never planned
16:19that I should do this, I should do that,
16:21I should go in this way.
16:23I took life as it came to me.
16:25As life comes to me,
16:27I take it with me.
16:29Day to day,
16:31I try to walk in life.
16:33A little bit,
16:35your future planning happens,
16:37life insurance happens, all this happens.
16:39And like your father always told you,
16:41there is no PA for gratuity in this profession.
16:43Yes, in this profession, always.
16:45My father used to say,
16:47he still says,
16:49yes, save a little,
16:51keep a little,
16:53there is no PA for gratuity.
16:55So,
16:57but yes,
16:59when I came to Mumbai,
17:01I got PA and gratuity.
17:03Because I worked in NSD Repertory Company.
17:05After graduating from NSD,
17:07I worked in Repertory Company for 3 years
17:09as an actor.
17:11It is a national theatre company.
17:13Rajan Dubai Minister of HRD.
17:15So, I used to work there.
17:17So, after 3 years,
17:19when I left the company,
17:21I brought Provident Fund
17:23and money for gratuity.
17:25Because of which,
17:27I was able to survive.
17:29Because of which,
17:31I mean,
17:33that is why I was not able to glorify.
17:35I mean, I struggled a lot.
17:37I slept in footpaths and railway stations.
17:39I came,
17:41stayed at a friend's house.
17:43After a few days,
17:45I gave advance to another friend
17:47and shifted.
17:49At that time,
17:51I used to feel that
17:53if I had said Rs.1500,
17:55I should have said Rs.300.
17:57I should have said Rs.300.
17:5924 years
18:01since you have been in Mumbai.
18:03Yeah, 2000.
18:05It has been a very fruitful
18:07and eventful 24 years, isn't it?
18:09Yeah, fruitful.
18:11I got married, had kids,
18:13got a house,
18:15got a job.
18:17Half of my life.
18:19I was in Calcutta
18:21till the age of 24.
18:23At the age of 24,
18:25I came out of Calcutta.
18:27It has been another 24 years.
18:29If you look at it this way.
18:31What is it about you,
18:33because you don't come
18:35from a family of actors,
18:37where you felt that
18:39I want to be an actor?
18:41Was it your general look?
18:43What was it about you?
18:45I don't know.
18:47When I think about it retrospectively,
18:49I feel that in my childhood,
18:51there were some seeds planted.
18:53I remember
18:55when I was very young,
18:57when I used to be a theater actor,
18:59I used to get very excited.
19:01I used to like it a lot.
19:03The dream reality,
19:05when the audience
19:07and the stage gets lit.
19:09This world always attracted me.
19:11I also remember
19:13that I was born
19:15in a very big family.
19:17My grandfather's
19:19three brothers' family was together.
19:21Joint family.
19:23Almost like 35-40 people
19:25together in a house.
19:27I was born in such a family
19:29that I was the first grandson.
19:31I was a little
19:33pampered.
19:35There was an uncle
19:37who used to go to the theater.
19:39He used to make Krishna.
19:41There was a show
19:43at 10 or 11 at night.
19:45During the time of Pooja.
19:47My entry was at 12.30.
19:49At that time,
19:51I was a 3-4 year old kid.
19:53It was time to sleep.
19:55I went to sleep.
19:57Krishna was made.
19:59He took me to the stage
20:01and made me stand like this.
20:03The entry was very important.
20:05I remember this very vividly.
20:07I used to put a mosquito net
20:09in my room and
20:11light a night lamp.
20:13I used to tell people
20:15to buy a ticket.
20:17People used to come to my room.
20:19I did all this.
20:21After that,
20:23when I started theater
20:25in 1988,
20:27after my secondary exam,
20:29I joined a group theater.
20:31At that time,
20:33there was no such thing
20:35as a profession.
20:37I was into sports a lot.
20:39I didn't have any direction.
20:43But, all of a sudden,
20:45recognition and validation
20:47when you get
20:49Best Actor Award,
20:51you get it again and again.
20:53Then through IPTA,
20:55Indian People's Theatre Association,
20:57in 1993,
20:59at the Golden Jubilee celebration
21:01of IPTA,
21:03I got Best Actor Award
21:05at the One Act Play competition.
21:09When you get validation,
21:11you realize that you belong
21:13to this world.
21:15Later, I realized
21:17that what you aspire for
21:19should not be your career.
21:21You should have a career
21:23in what you are good at.
21:25I was an aspiring footballer.
21:27I was an aspiring cricketer.
21:29But, I couldn't play
21:31at that level.
21:33I couldn't play at that level.
21:35If I don't have the ability,
21:37if I don't have the talent,
21:39if I don't become Sachin Tendulkar,
21:41then at least I can become
21:43something else.
21:45So, those things happen.
21:47I realized that
21:49now.
21:53Otherwise, life just happened.
21:55Yes.
21:57I want to tell anyone
21:59that you should have a career
22:01in what you are good at.
22:03Because, that is the USP.
22:05You can sell that.
22:07You are unique in that.
22:09Otherwise, you are random.
22:11Because, everybody is aspiring.
22:13Aspiring singer, aspiring actor,
22:15aspiring this thing.
22:17So, there can be a lot of aspirations.
22:19You are a tabla player, right?
22:21I used to play tabla.
22:23I passed 4th division
22:25in Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad.
22:27But, even after that,
22:29I realized that
22:33I can't play like Kishan Maharaj.
22:35You are not Zakir Hussain.
22:37I am not Zakir Hussain.
22:39Like Shamta Prasad,
22:41Shankar Ghosh, Gyan Prakash Ghosh,
22:43such legendary tabla players,
22:45whom I used to learn from,
22:47Sajal Karmakar.
22:49So much practice, so much time.
22:51There is no patience.
22:53Have you met Zakir Hussain?
22:55No, I have never met him.
22:57You haven't met any of his legendary tabla players?
22:59No, I have never met Zakir Hussain.
23:01I have seen his performance
23:03in Calcutta.
23:07Zakir is also good fun.
23:09He is good fun as a person also.
23:11Of course.
23:13But, I didn't get that opportunity to meet him.
23:15And, what a player!
23:17What a player!
23:19You know, he combines the classical
23:21along with the commercial.
23:23So, you cater to an audience.
23:25Yes.
23:27It's a whole package.
23:29Like you guys are.
23:31Like you artists are.
23:33Full package.
23:35Yes.
23:37Actually, our art
23:39is the whole body.
23:41It is the whole persona.
23:43From the feet to the hair,
23:45everything is exposed
23:47in front of the audience.
23:49It becomes that character.
23:51Is there any character that you have
23:53really found very
23:55difficult to get into?
23:59Because, you seem to be easy
24:01with almost all the characters.
24:03It seems to.
24:05But, every time I get a challenge
24:07from every character.
24:09Every time.
24:11My mouth gets dry.
24:13I have to go to the toilet.
24:15I get nervous.
24:17First day of shoot.
24:19First day of shoot.
24:21First scene.
24:23With new actors.
24:25With new group.
24:27New technicians.
24:29People are watching you from all sides.
24:3125 people.
24:33And, the biggest thing is
24:35that you have a reality in the stage.
24:37When you act.
24:39In the stage, your reality is that
24:41everybody is enchanted.
24:43There is no audience here.
24:45Correct.
24:47And,
24:49there are many people
24:51who are judging you.
24:53How will he catch the character?
24:55What will he do?
24:57The director is sitting in front of the monitor.
24:59There is a creative team behind him.
25:01So, there is a conversation going on.
25:03Somebody comes to you with a suggestion.
25:05So, you know.
25:07Because, you have been watched
25:09while you are performing.
25:11So, it is a big alienation.
25:13You don't get
25:15an identification.
25:17You know, you were very
25:19good even in Loop Lapeta.
25:21Such a wacky film that was.
25:23And, you
25:25hand inside a turkey.
25:27Yes, yes.
25:29Turkey.
25:31Because, he was a chef.
25:33He was a chef.
25:35And,
25:37if somebody makes a mistake,
25:39he threatens
25:41that I will
25:43marinate you.
25:45I will put you in an oven.
25:47After that, I will feed you to people.
25:49Correct.
25:51So,
25:55Loop Lapeta was a fun.
25:57It is like Aakash.
25:59It is all due to Aakash.
26:01Aakash Outstanding.
26:03Wackiness.
26:05So, it was fun
26:07to work on Loop Lapeta.
26:09Was that character like that on paper
26:11Yes, yes.
26:13It was a completely designed character.
26:15Aakash wanted like that only.
26:17I must tell you one
26:19story about the character.
26:21He wanted
26:23his hair to be silver.
26:25Complete silver.
26:27Grey with
26:2970's look.
26:31So, I tried
26:33to make my hair silver.
26:35Because,
26:37you need to make it a palette.
26:39You need to whiten the surface.
26:41Only then you can make it silver.
26:43In grey hair,
26:45it looks blackish.
26:47In camera.
26:49Because of that,
26:51I decided to bleach my hair.
26:53So,
26:55he bleached my hair twice in one night.
26:57I had a shooting the next day.
26:59My hair was finished.
27:01Blisters were there.
27:03I bleached my hair.
27:05And,
27:07it was done for the look.
27:09After that, I suffered almost
27:116-7 months to come back.
27:13To get your hair back.
27:15To get my hair back.
27:17Blisters were there on my head.
27:19I have never done that in my life.
27:21I never touch my hair.
27:25So, this is what you gave Loop Lapeta.
27:27Your hair.
27:29Yes.
27:31See,
27:33we were taught
27:35that pictures are bigger than you.
27:37So, the film is
27:39much much bigger than you.
27:41So,
27:43you must go on.
27:45You must do for the role.
27:47Character.
27:49That's true.
27:51That's why,
27:53I try to change every character.
27:55I try to get out of my comfort zone.
27:5724x7,
27:59that's what I want to do.
28:01I mean,
28:03every act
28:05is also an act.
28:07Your makeup, ornamentation,
28:09your costume,
28:11holds a very important part.
28:13Satvik is okay.
28:15But, until and unless
28:17you don't look,
28:19you don't change,
28:21if you don't have your outer
28:23physical metamorphosis,
28:25how will you change yourself?
28:27Because, end of the day,
28:29when I act,
28:31I wear clothes,
28:33take makeup,
28:35I can't see myself in the mirror.
28:39So,
28:41how will the inner
28:43come out?
28:45It takes time.
28:47So, you look at yourself,
28:49in your finished look,
28:51you look at yourself,
28:53you're convinced you're looking the part
28:55and then you go in.
28:57Vachik,
28:59Aahar, Satvik,
29:01all these four things,
29:03you should know them yourself.
29:05You should know
29:07physical attribution,
29:09Vachik,
29:11Verbose,
29:13how precise you're speaking in Verbose.
29:15Because,
29:17blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
29:19all that goes into the mouth.
29:21It doesn't have a separate mouth.
29:23You should speak
29:25as much as you can.
29:29Sometimes,
29:31in any scene,
29:33where there's nothing to say,
29:35I say a couple of lines.
29:37But, sometimes,
29:39where there are 25 lines,
29:41I say 3 lines instead of 17.
29:45You're making the impact.
29:47If there's no
29:49impact of the dialogue,
29:51what's the point?
29:53Sometimes,
29:55in a scene,
29:57there are 4-5 lines
29:59extra,
30:01you can finish it
30:03in one reaction.
30:05So, you don't have to say 4-5 lines.
30:17Yes, there are many roles like that.
30:19There are many roles in life.
30:21I mean,
30:23there are many.
30:31I cannot tell you the list.
30:33The list of actors
30:35and the characters.
30:37I mean, I always,
30:39even now,
30:41in a film by Fellini,
30:45Antony Quinn
30:47and Giulietta Massina.
30:49Even now,
30:51when I see that film, I feel like crying.
30:55Bicycle Thief.
30:57You see,
30:59those characters.
31:03These are all dangerous
31:05characters.
31:07I mean,
31:09what can I say?
31:11Dangerous.
31:13I mean,
31:15there are so many characters
31:17by Gerard Depardieu.
31:19There are so many characters
31:21by Swamitra Chatterjee.
31:23There are so many characters
31:25by Uttam Kumar.
31:27I have seen them in my childhood.
31:29Are there any roles that you
31:31didn't do for any reason,
31:33but they turned out very well
31:35and then you feel bad,
31:37like, why didn't I do it?
31:39No, it never happened.
31:41As an ES man, I always tell you,
31:43I tell people that
31:45I say yes first in any project.
31:47After that, 99.9 percent,
31:49after saying yes,
31:51that 0.1 percent,
31:53that doesn't happen
31:55according to any logic.
31:57Otherwise, the films
31:59that were offered to me,
32:01the films that came,
32:03I did all of them.
32:05Whether it's a small role
32:07or a big role,
32:09I did all of them.
32:11And I always benefitted
32:13from it.
32:15That I am better than
32:17small characters.
32:19Because if you see,
32:21in Ray, Satyit Ray,
32:23in an anthology,
32:25there are only three scenes.
32:27So I said yes
32:29to Sajid.
32:31But when I read the story,
32:33I said, this is the most
32:35important character.
32:37Then this is the most important character
32:39of the film.
32:41Absolutely. So it's not the length,
32:43it's the impact.
32:45But now,
32:47of course, I need length.
32:49Because length also gives you comfort.
32:53Length also gives you comfort.
32:55You have a span
32:57to take the whole character.
32:59Because the smaller the characters,
33:01the shorter the span,
33:03it becomes more challenging.
33:06Tell me, as a teacher,
33:08because you are not only an actor,
33:10you also teach and you also train
33:12the actors.
33:14I heard that you have trained
33:16Arjun Kapoor before his first film.
33:18You have trained Parineeti Chopra
33:20before her first film. And then both of you did a film
33:22called Kod Thiranga also together.
33:24And I think
33:26somebody in a web series
33:28also you had
33:30trained an actor.
33:32So what is it that you
33:34trained Arjun and Parineeti?
33:36You see, it is coaching
33:38actually, basically. Training is
33:40because acting, you don't teach acting.
33:42You can't teach acting.
33:44Because what will you teach acting?
33:46Everyone is an actor. Everyone has
33:48those advances. It is just
33:50identifying those crafts,
33:52those areas.
33:56That in life,
33:58as an actor, how do you live?
34:00It is just not
34:02only going to the gym. It is everyday
34:04life, day-to-day life.
34:06You are interacting with
34:08the watchman,
34:10you are interacting with the
34:12sabzi vendor. So,
34:14kisi ke saath bhi, jo newspaper dene
34:16aata hai, jo dog walker hai,
34:18koi kisi ke saath bhi aapka
34:20day-to-day interaction, aapka social life
34:22mein sab ke saath
34:24ghar mein rehna,
34:26bibi bachche ke saath time spend karna,
34:28doston ke saath time spend karna,
34:30socially aware hona, news dekhna,
34:32yeh sab kuch hai,
34:34acting mein yeh perspective hai.
34:36Toh main basically, jabhi main
34:38train karta hu, agar wo particularly
34:40koi film base pe hai,
34:42toh main suni
34:44yeh perspective se karta hu.
34:48Agar maan lijiye, aap ek phala film ke liye,
34:50mujhe bola ki yeh film mein, isko launch
34:52kiya jaa raha hai, toh thoda sa
34:5415-20 din, thoda sa
34:56workshop karte. Toh main
34:58yeh kushish karta hu, one-on-one ho.
35:00Kyuki main group mein,
35:02phir main attention dehi nahi paunga.
35:04Aur usme
35:06se main kya karta hu, main
35:08meri jaati zindagi mein, as an actor,
35:10maine kya-kya, kaun-kaun se area mein
35:12problem face kiya, aur kaise
35:14main uska tod nikala, aur
35:16kaise main us chiz ko manipulate kiya.
35:18Toh wo saari cheezein main,
35:20combine karne kushish karta hu.
35:22Life ka ek perspective dene kushish karta hu,
35:24as an actor, you know,
35:26as an actor,
35:28it doesn't matter if you don't know Remrao,
35:30Botticelli, or
35:32Sehzaad, Paul Klee, whatever.
35:34But if you know,
35:36then is it,
35:38yeh kharab ho raha hai kya tumhare kareer ke saath?
35:40Nahi ho raha hai.
35:42So, agar aise perspective
35:44open kar sakto, toh phir then,
35:46why not? Toh main wo ek dalne
35:48kushish karta hu, uske baad main.
35:50What was it like with Parneeti and with Arjun?
35:52Same, same, same, because
35:54they are also very intelligent people.
35:56Intelligent people, intelligent actors,
35:58intelligent human beings. Arjun is
36:00from a film background,
36:02film family, wo bachpan se
36:04assist kiya hua hai,
36:06editor rahe chuka hai,
36:08kitna kaam kar chuka hai.
36:10Toh inke grasping capability
36:12bhi bahut achchi hai. Parneeti toh
36:14bahut bade likhi hai, wo toh baahar se
36:16Manchester, Manchester se
36:18master's course karke aayi hui thi.
36:20Toh, aur
36:22yeh kya na, aise is process mein
36:24aap bhi bahut saare cheezein
36:26invent karta hu, aapke khud ke craft main.
36:28Khud ke craft
36:30mein bhi aap bahut saare cheezein invent karta hu.
36:32Toh, it is mainly
36:34aur agar
36:36aapko agar director ne bol diya hai ki
36:38scene by scene karna hai,
36:40toh that is a different perspective
36:42mein phir mai chala jaata hu, ke scene by scene
36:44karta hu. Dialogue
36:46by dialogue bhi mai jaata hu.
36:48Dialogue by dialogue bhi mai jaa sakta hu.
36:50What did you do with Parineeti?
36:52We used to do a general workshop.
36:54General workshop for the film.
36:56For the film, general workshop for the film.
36:58And then when you worked with Parineeti later on
37:00in Kothi Ranga, what
37:02was it like? She is a fantastic human
37:04being, I must tell you.
37:06Because in that film I
37:08lost my mother.
37:10During that film
37:12we were in Turkey.
37:14Toh wo din bhar mere paas baithi rahi.
37:16Din bhar mere paas baithi rahi.
37:18Toh bhat se mere
37:20actually you know
37:22Hinduism because I am a Brahmin
37:24from a
37:26quite an orthodox Bengali
37:28Brahmin family.
37:30So ghar me mere bahut rituals hai.
37:32Ki yeh non-veg nahi khana,
37:34pyaz nahi khana, lasan
37:36nahi khana, masoor ki dal nahi khani.
37:40So chawal nahi khana.
37:42So it is almost like a
37:44penance.
37:46For those
37:48you know till the
37:50I think
37:5213th
37:54bahut strict hota hai.
37:56Ab Turkey mein kaise karu
37:58toh Parineeti
38:00ke paas jo uska
38:02personal chef hua karte hai, toh wo he used to cook for me.
38:04And wo har doz aake mere se poochti thi.
38:06Dabuda aapko kya khana hai, aaj yeh
38:08banwa do, aaj wo banwa do.
38:10That was very nice.
38:12So yeh hi hai.
38:14That is why we call the whole
38:16film Fraternity is a family.
38:18That's true, that's true.
38:20So she was with you when you lost your mother.
38:22I lost my mother.
38:24And that was during Covid, so you couldn't even come down.
38:26Ya, ya, 2021. And because we were outside of India
38:28because India mein kuch honi raha hai,
38:30restrictions the, border
38:32closed the.
38:34So, hua
38:36Turkey mein there were lot of
38:38restrictions but it was somehow
38:40it was open.
38:42Aur aise time mein jahaan matlab
38:44almost like 75 percent of the film is
38:46done.
38:48Aapka 50 takhe ka kaam ho chuka hai.
38:50Aap aise kaise chhod ke aasa hai.
38:52That's true.
38:54Humara toh koi alternative mein nahi hai bhai.
38:56Camera department ka kuch hua ghar mein toh
38:58assistant chhod ke aasakta hai.
39:00But actors cannot.
39:02Actors koi alternative mein nahi hai.
39:04Right.
39:06My last question to you.
39:08You mentioned that you met
39:10Richa at NSD.
39:12But nobody has heard about your
39:14love story.
39:16How did you
39:18meet Richa and how did this happen?
39:20So, it was like
39:22maine National School of
39:24Drama ke baad maine NSD
39:26Repertory Company ka jo job
39:28hai wo le liya tha.
39:30So, mera paas offer aaya tha.
39:32Mere pataaya gaya tha ke
39:34aise teen cha
39:36seats hai. If you want to
39:38join, you are most welcome.
39:40So, maine joine kar liya because
39:42mujhe Hindi rang manch karna tha.
39:44Kyuki main Bengali rang manch karke
39:46aaya hu zindagi baad. Teen saal yaha
39:48kaam karne ke baad, padhai karne ke baad.
39:50Theatre jo maine kiya hai.
39:52Seekha hai itne saal ho. Teen saal
39:54mein kam sakam iska apply karne ke bhi tak
39:56jaga ho. Aur Delhi mein
39:58Hindi rang manch kar sakte. Ya phir aap Kanpur,
40:00Anpur mein chale jaayenge. Aap Faizabad chale
40:02jaayenge, Bhopal chale jaayenge, kahin bhi chala jaayenge.
40:04Lekin Delhi gad hai.
40:06Hindi rang manch.
40:08National School of Drama. Aapko
40:10sahuliyat bhi hai. Repertory
40:12company hai. Better place to yehi
40:14hoga nahi. Kaam kijiye. Toh wahaan kaam
40:16kiya. Maine dabakar teen saal kaam kiya.
40:18Bahot mazaaya.
40:20Aur us dauran
40:22Richa mile. Us dauran
40:24jab main kaam kar raha tha,
40:26apna, toh ek
40:28kuch players the jis players
40:30mein main lead karta tha.
40:32Toh usmein jaise bahut saare comedy players
40:34ki the. Toh
40:36bahut haste the log. Ek bahut
40:38mera bahut hi popular comedy
40:40play tha, Raja
40:42ka Rasoi. Accha.
40:44So,
40:46woh ek bahut,
40:48usmein main ek
40:50sharabi
40:52kasai ka role karta tha. Accha.
40:54Joki bahut hi,
40:56like, he's a lecherous
40:58butcher. He's like woh,
41:00matlab period
41:02play tha woh. Accha.
41:04Toh woh jabhi bhi aata tha,
41:06market mein bhi aata tha na,
41:08do ganigaon ke saath aata tha.
41:10He's very
41:12flamboyant kasai hai.
41:14Accha, 24x7 daaru piya hua hai.
41:16Toh woh bahut zyada
41:18popular play
41:20tha woh.
41:22Late, Mohan Maharishi
41:24ki director. Aur ek tha,
41:26Bajju bhai, Ramgopal Bajaj ke direct
41:28kiya hua hai, Bhook Aag
41:30Usmein main ek buddha bikhari
41:32ka role karta tha.
41:34Toh woh bhi bahut
41:36major hit
41:38tha. Accha. Aur ek
41:40Agni Barkha mein Arvasu karta tha,
41:42jo Girish Khanna ka play tha,
41:44Prasanna ne direct kiya hua tha.
41:46Woh ek bahut serious play hai.
41:48Toh usmein Yakshagana bhi karta tha main.
41:50Toh usmein Arvasu
41:52ka character karta tha, lead character karta tha.
41:54Toh aise 4-5 plays
41:56main karta tha.
41:58Theater festivals hota tha, 4-5 plays
42:00aur toh pata chala ke
42:026 jo play aura hai, 6 mein
42:04main lead kar raha hoon.
42:06Toh ek bahut bada effect padta hai, back padta hai.
42:08Toh first year mein Richa aayi hui thi.
42:10Toh first year,
42:12milne aate the
42:14ladke, larkiya.
42:16Toh phir hum mile.
42:18Toh
42:20dheere dheere dheere dheere slowly, 2-3 bar
42:22aur milna hua. Because actually
42:24company toh kaam karte tha.
42:26Toh aise campus ke bahar hota tha,
42:28Scientical Academy mein.
42:30Lekin hum lunch karne ke liye
42:32campus mein aa jaate the,
42:34mess mein khana khane ke liye aa jaate the.
42:36Thoda sa, aur bahut logon ke
42:38koi girlfriend hai, kisi ka yeh sab
42:40hai, thoda sa dostiyari.
42:42Toh wo bhi ho jaata tha.
42:44Aur hamara
42:46repertory khatam ho jaane ke baad bhi hum
42:48thodi der, kuch der ke liye time pass karne ke liye
42:50NSD ke andar aa jaate the.
42:52It's like family na,
42:54toh
42:56toh waha se waha se dheere dheere dheere
42:58And she was very impressed with all those
43:00plays that you had done.
43:02Ya ya, because usne later on wohi, usne
43:04kaha tha, reveal kiya tha,
43:06I used to
43:08look at you.
43:10So that's how it all started.
43:12Ya, it's all started. And how long did you
43:14wooing her, dating her
43:16before you got married?
43:18Oh, long time actually, from 1980
43:2019
43:22I think 1997,
43:241998
43:26me
43:28like
43:301998 yeh 1999
43:321999 me I met her
43:34and
43:362003 me mere
43:38You got married in 2003.
43:40And you've been in
43:42Bombay since then, since your wedding.
43:44Ya, ya, so I came to
43:46Bombay in 2000. So she's also an
43:48actor, isn't it? Ya, she's also
43:50an actress and abhi bhi shooting mein
43:52gayi hui hai. She does a lot of
43:54serials actually.
43:56Bala ji ke serials kaafi kar.
43:58Toh uska bahut hi seeda saada funda hai
44:00studio system usko bahut achcha
44:02lagta hai. Ek studio hai
44:04jaha main har roz saad bhaji jaongi
44:06saam ko saad bhaji wapas aacha.
44:08Okay, not the erratic
44:10schedules that you have.
44:12Because uska basically sab koi
44:14usi ke choice ke isaap se hua hai.
44:16Mane bola ki whenever you want to
44:18have a kid, then you have.
44:20Otherwise you don't have.
44:22So it was all her choice.
44:24And you have two kids.
44:26Ya, two kids. Lovely.
44:28And ghar sab kuch usi ke
44:30barzi se. Lovely house
44:32you have.
44:34And lovely kids.
44:36So what are your kids doing?
44:38My daughter is
44:40a footballer.
44:42She played under 14 for Maharashtra
44:44also. Nationals
44:46kheli hai usne, SDFI.
44:48I mean under 17 main
44:50Mumbai district ki team mein
44:52abhi tournament khatam
44:54kiya usne khel ke.
44:56So under 17
44:58wo football khel rahi hai.
45:00Even you were a footballer.
45:02Ya, I used to play football, cricket, everything.
45:04Gymnast.
45:06Sab kuch, bahut kuch kiya maine.
45:08Maine apne zindagi mein
45:10abhi later half mein, abhi bada
45:12jab hua tab main golf khela, tennis khela.
45:14But golf aur tennis chhod
45:16ke bachpan mein maine sare play games khela.
45:18Toh aur woh 9th standard
45:20mein hai, AVM Juhu mein padhti hai.
45:22Woh hai aur apna, mera beta
45:24jo hai,
45:26woh BBA,
45:28branding and advertisement
45:30NMIMS mein padh raha hai,
45:32abhi second year mein jayega woh.
45:34Aur woh piano bajata hai bachpan se.
45:366 saal ke age se piano bajata hai.
45:38Aur
45:40boxing enthusiast bhi hai.
45:42Aur ek cheez hai, haath bhi tora whatever.
45:44Toh boxing bhi karta hai, toh usko
45:46main hamisha bhi bolta hoon ki,
45:48dono bilkul completely different hai.
45:50Ek mein tere ungliyon ka dhyan
45:52rakhna padega.
45:54So, musically kaafi inclined hai mera
45:56dono bachchi.
45:58Aur mera aur ek bachcha ghumta hai ghar mein,
46:00aapko bhi kraha hoon.
46:02Iska naam hai Hero.
46:04Hero who kept coming between our
46:06conversation.
46:08Toh woh kuchh nahi karta hai, woh sirf time pass karta hai
46:10So, lovely meeting you.
46:12Lovely meeting you too.
46:14And I am really happy to see the man behind all that
46:16work we have been admiring for so long.
46:18Thank you so much.
46:20What do we look forward to now?
46:22Ek bahut interesting kaam kiya hai
46:24main abhi recently, Ek Rukawa Faisla.
46:26Jo Basu Chatterjee ki film thi.
46:28I know, that is that jury.
46:30That jury film?
46:32Toh iska official remake,
46:34naam wohi rahega Ek Rukawa Faisla.
46:36But,
46:38you can tell it is a contemporary adaptation
46:40of that film.
46:42Woh maine shooting complete ki hai.
46:44Toh woh,
46:46That's a very unique film.
46:48Aapko yaad hoga, Sydney Looney ki
46:50film thi, 12 Angry Men.
46:52Toh woh hai aur
46:54uske baad abhi
46:56film kar raha hoon, Gulabi
46:58Huma ke saath.
47:00Woh bhi floor pe hai.
47:02Huma Qureshi ke saath?
47:04You worked with her in Maharani also?
47:06She is also fantastic.
47:08Outstanding and such a brilliant actress.
47:10Bada madha aata hai.
47:12So,
47:14So, all these we have to
47:16watch out for now.
47:18Ya, matlab these are my
47:20So, watch out for Debu in all these films.
47:22Please, haan.
47:24Please watch and stay
47:26connected and
47:28keep blessing me.
47:30Yes, and many more
47:32such assignments.
47:34So, aur bhi kaam mile
47:36aur bhi achcha kaam kar pao.
47:38Bas yehi hai.
47:40Chalte rahe bas.
47:42Lovely meeting you.
47:44Thank you so much.