Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; December 13, 2018)

He’s an actor, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, dialogue writer, musician and more. Satish Kaushik has dabbled in every possible aspect of filmmaking, but what he enjoys the most is acting. He says, “I may have directed 15 films, but in my heart, I am an actor first. Standing in front of the camera pleases me the most. I work day and night as a director and producer, but I will be an actor till my last breath.” In conversation with BT, the senior actor talks about his upcoming films and also gets nostaligic about his four-decade-long journey in Bollywood.

He’s recently finished shooting for Salman Khan’s Bharat and talking about his preparation, he says, “Salman has inspired to me get fit. I am playing the role of a Merchant Navy officer in Bharat and since I would have to wear a uniform, I thought I should cut down on size. For two months I attended workshops to lose weight and I’ve become a regular at the gym, too.”

He is also currently helming the film, Kaagaz, which is based on a real incident. It features Pankaj Tripathi as a farmer who has to prove that he’s alive, after having been falsely issued a death certificate. Kaushik says, “I had procured the rights to make a film on the life of Lal Bihari Mritak, 14 years ago. I’ve finally got the chance to tell this unique story.”

WOULD’VE NEVER THOUGHT THAT THE ACTOR HE SIGNED FOR Rs 500 WOULD MAKE HIM LOSE Rs 50 CRORES’
Satish Kaushik’s directorial debut, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), was a box-office disappointment. He had even issued an apology on social media to producer and good friend Boney Kapoor earlier this year. Recalling memories of his first film, he says, “During the 80s, when Boney first signed me as an actor, he offered me Rs 201. Anil (Kapoor) told him that he’d seen how talented I was during Woh Saat Din (1983), so he told him to give me Rs 500 instead. Boney would’ve never thought that the actor he signed for Rs 500 rupees would make him lose Rs 50 crores on films like Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Prem (1995) (laughs!).” Such is his friendship with the Kapoor brothers that Kaushik considers them the most influential figures in his career and life. He says, “I became friends with them when I worked on one scene in Woh Saat Din. Sometimes it just takes one scene for you to make friends and open doors of opportunities in the film industry.”

‘ANUPAM KHER AND ANANG DESAI USED TO GET ALL THE ROLES AT FTII AND NO ONE OFFERED ME ANY WORK’
Kaushik places great importance on friendships and relationships in the film industry. The National School of Drama (NSD) graduate says, “At NSD, I made friends for life. Anupam Kher, Anang Desai, Govind Namdeo, Anita Kanwar, Kavita Chaudhary and Karan Razdan were my classmates. Theatre institute mein hum log filmon ke khwab dekhte the. We used to talk about Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan movies, while other students used to talk about theatre.” It was through NSD that Kaushik, Kher and their entire class was sent to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for a six month course. That changed Kaushik’s life. He recalls, “Anupam and Anang used to get all the roles at FTII and no one offered me any work. Then one day, the institute had a play titled Rustom Sorab with Nadira Babbar and Rajesh Vivek, where I played a negative character called Behram. I got a standing ovation and that’s when my talent got noticed for the first time.”

‘I WAS SURE NO ONE WOULD OFFER ME A ROLE AFTER LOOKING AT MY PHOTO’
Having seen the highs and lows, Kaushik feels that talent is important in showbiz than luck. He explains, “An actor with my personality could have never succeeded in this profession without talent, solely on the basis of luck. Hard work and talent are what holds you in good stead, much more than just good fortune. During my days as an aspiring actor and a struggler, I never clicked a single portfolio shot or photograph. I was sure no one would offer me a role after looking at my photo.”