You are garnering accolades for your performance in ‘Jehanabad – Of Love And War’. How does it feel?
Yes, I am getting a lot of love for my role in ‘Jehanabad – Of Love and War’. It feels great to receive all kinds of appreciation from the audience. I believe this is the first time in my career of 13 years that I have received so much attention. Also, people have been talking about my performance in the show, so I am really grateful for the love my audience has showered on me.
You play a Bihari character in the series. You were born and brought up in Bihar. Did this make it relatively easier for you to prepare and portray your character?
I think it was relatively easy for me as compared to other actors who are not from Bihar as I am familiar with the culture, language, dialect and state. Having said that, let me also add that playing any character is not easy. Making any character interesting and relatable is always a challenge. I had to work on my body language and accent as it has been 30 years since I left Bihar. The biggest challenge for me was to portray the character of Kumud Mishra authentically so that people feel that the character really belongs to that place and time.
How was it working with Ritwik Bhowmick and Satyadeep Mishra?
I don’t have any scene with Satyadeep Mishra. However, I have a few scenes with Ritwik. It was wonderful working with Ritwik, as he is a very thoughtful actor and brings in a lot of homework. We share a really good rapport. We both had a scene that didn’t make the final cut, but it was a lovely scene. It was an intense scene and we had great chemistry in that shot. We thoroughly enjoyed working together.
In your recent interviews you talked about regressive content on television. Do you think the advent of OTT has changed the way people view content?
OTT has changed the landscape in a significant way. Content has revolutionized. Earlier, limited content was explored in films and TV but the OTT audience is different. Many filmmakers and writers around the world are creating original stories and themes to tell. This is a nice change. The range and sensitivity of the material have also increased simultaneously.
Unlike earlier, today actresses above 40 are stepping forward and carrying the burden of film on their shoulders. How do you see this change as an actor?
I think this is the best time to be an actor. Especially for actresses above 40 or 50 as the age barrier and stereotypes have been broken to a great extent in recent years. Now more than 40 actresses are playing the lead characters and their stories are being told. Also, people’s perception that women-centric content doesn’t work has completely changed. Now, it’s not the sex or gender of the character, it’s about the whole story. I think this is a big change in the industry. I sincerely hope that this trend will continue.
As an actor who has been in the industry for so many years, how important is screen time to you?
I think screen time matters. If your visibility is good, screen time is more and scenes are good, then the scope of your performance also increases. Also, the opportunity to bring your talent to the table and showcase your dimensions as an actor is more in that case. Of course, sometimes one can do well with less screen time, but it matters most of the time.
Apart from film and television, you are an actor who is happiest doing theatre.
Yes, theater is my first love and I have never left it. I still go back to the theater whenever I feel a little disconnected from the world. After ‘Balika Vadhu’, I hardly did one show and then completely switched to theater for four to five years. I do theater regularly and it gives me a lot of creative satisfaction.
Today’s youth see theater as only a stepping stone Bollywood, Your thoughts…
I don’t think there is anything wrong with that because theater is a creative and educational space. Budding actors who do not have formal training in acting can learn the art through theatre. It is also a personal journey of where they learn and how they apply what they have learned. It all depends on the passion of a person and how he wants to polish his craft.