The veteran actor who clocks 50 years in Hindi cinema this year, on how he kept in touch with the stage without actually working in a theatrical production
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 21, 2017)

Lounging on the couch at his Juhu apartment, veteran actor Govardhan Asrani, known by his second name, has been a busy man of late. Apart from feature releases in Hindi and Gujarati, he has also ventured into Marathi films such as Pitambar Kale’s 15 August se 26 January (also starring the late Om Puri) and Santosh Gaikwad’s Family 420. The actor who completes half a century in Hindi cinema this year — he debuted in the 1967 Hare Kanch Ki Chooriyan — also featured in the hugely popular web series Permanent Roommates recently and marked his return to theatre — an experience he describes as “rejuvenating”. “Last year, when I met Padmini Kolhapure at an event in Pune, she asked me if I was interested in doing a part in a play where she played the lead. I couldn’t then, but eventually did Baap Ka Baap — a comedy with a social message — which was a big hit,” says the actor who completed a six-city tour across Australia and New Zealand with the production.

Asrani’s journey in theatre began when he was part of the first batch at FTII (1963-65). As part of the acting course, appearing on stage was mandatory. And the veteran actor played Mark Anthony in Julius Caesar, a role famously essayed on stage by Richard Burton and Marlon Brando. “Once you’ve done Shakespeare or Chekhov, you’ve reached the peak of theatre because they have classical characters. There’s a lot of depth and one has to be sensitive to the language, the depiction of the period and yet be contemporary as some of these plays were written 300 years ago,” he explains.

Incidentally, Asrani’s next play Makhichoos, to be staged next weekend at Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, is an adaptation of a classic by 17th Century French playwright Molière. Asrani plays the eponymous lead — a miser called Topanlal who refuses to share his enormous wealth with his children who then forsake him. The experience of returning to the stage has been an enriching one, he says. “In theatre, you only get one chance. Parda khula and you perform. In cinema, retakes are possible. But in theatre, koi galti nahin kar sakte,” says the actor, who was convinced that the medium helps film actors hone their skills when he saw Al Pacino on stage. “On stage, even if you’re Anthony Quinn or whoever, you will have to prepare and get retrained in the craft. Which is why Hollywood greats like Richard Burton, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier have returned to the stage after doing films,” he points out.

Although the medium is singularly demanding, the payout is just as gratifying. “On screen, the audience gets to see me but I don’t get to see kaun taali baja raha hain, kaun gaali de raha hain. And nothing compares to being applauded by a live audience — it’s worth more than money,” says the actor, adding that the medium has also become monetarily feasible. “At one time, actors would get Rs 150 per show — I’ve heard from my friends in Gujarati theatre.”

His delayed return to theatre, he pins on his exhausting film career and admits that he was never offered a chance to feature in Gujarati theatre, even while he played the lead in several regional language films. “There was a time I was doing six shifts every day, three hours each, travelling from Goregaon to Chembur and back, so I couldn’t even think about theatre,” he recalls. But all along, Asrani kept in touch with the stage as he’d travel across the world for variety shows with music composer duo Lakshmikant-Pyarelal. “I used to compere their shows and introduce the singers with a bit of comedy thrown in. It was a surreal experience — facing an audience of 10,000 people at Wembley in London,” remembers the actor.

Onscreen, however, his most challenging yet gratifying character happens to be his most iconic one — playing the angreezon ke zamaane ka jailor in Sholay. “Salim-Javed had a detailed vision and I was shown photographs of Hitler and even made to listen to his recordings to internalise the character’s body language,” says Asrani, recalling the day at Mohan Studio when the makers called him on set to check his progress. “They told me chal ke dikhao and I did. Then, Javed saab told me the character’s voice needs to have akad as he belongs to the colonial times,” says the actor who credits theatre for his preparedness as an actor. “It has given me the confidence today that I can face the camera anytime, anywhere and for any medium.”