Showing posts with label Harsh Chhaya interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harsh Chhaya interview. Show all posts
If you don’t know the right people, you are a nobody here-Harsh Chhaya
8:14 AM
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; June 3, 2024)
His career spans three decades, and he’s an actor who has been appreciated for his performances. But Harsh Chhaya is also known to call a spade a spade. In a recent social media post, he wrote about favouritism and unprofessionalism in showbiz. When we spoke to him about this, he elaborated further on the highs and lows of showbiz and why in recent times, he hasn’t been seen much on the screen. Excerpts from the conversation:
While you are currently doing OTT shows, you seem to have kept away from television and films for a while now. Why?
I will credit my entire career to the kind of roles I was offered in television a decade ago. But, in the past few years, I haven’t enjoyed doing TV or films. I say films because normally one believes that after playing smaller parts, you will eventually bag bigger roles. But that has not happened. I continue to get offers for four scenes in insignificant roles. Similarly, in television, earlier there were good stories, and every character was well written, but today, there is a hero, heroine and the rest of the actors are standing in the background.
You recently put out a post on social media where you said that even after doing two good web shows (Undekhi, Mukhbir) you weren’t offered good roles. What do you think went wrong?
My performances in web shows Undekhi and Mukhbir got good feedback and yet, I am sitting at home. So, one wonders what went wrong. Being a character actor is not easy in showbiz. In addition, I am not happy with how the entire casting system behaves with actors who are not film stars or new actors, but somewhere in the between. If you haven’t done films with stars, then you are perceived as someone who doesn’t hold much weight. Even after working for three decades and doing a reasonable amount of good work, a casting guy calls me and says, ‘Apna phone number aur naam placard pe likh do and then send a video’. I have no problem in auditioning, I had auditioned for my part in Fashion too, but why audition for a role which will last for two days? Therefore, I have kept myself busy with voice overs and enough roles to run my kitchen in the last seven years.
Do you think the shooting experience has changed a lot, in terms of the process, logistics and professionalism?
Today, if you are shooting for 15 days for a web show, or you have two million followers on social media, you are considered an A category actor and enjoy a certain standard of facilities when you are on the set. But if you are shooting for four days, then your experience or seniority does not count. You are considered a C grade actor and are given accommodation in a different setup. Earlier, the entire film unit would stay together. Today, it is divided according to the number of days you shoot. If you don’t belong to a particular group or don’t know the right kind oaf people, then you are a nobody here. Only a few directors like Madhur Bhandarkar or Subhash Kapoor are professional about this. And if you refuse a role (I said no to a role with Anil Kapoor in a web show because there was not much for me to do) they tend to spread the word that you are not an easy guy to work with. I understand that no role is small in showbiz, but people should not make you feel small.
Good actors often play merry-go-round around stars in our films-Harsh Chhaya
7:55 AM
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; May 15, 2018)
As an actor, Harsh Chhaya has witnessed the highs and lows of the profession for over 20 years. Now, he has chosen to direct a film because he was not comfortable with the kind of work that was being offered to him as a performer. The film, Khajoor Pe Atke, which the actor has also penned, is a dark comedy that revolves around a family dealing with the failing health of a close relative. In an interview with BT, Harsh tells us why he is exploring a genre considered niche in Hindi cinema and the paucity of good roles for talented actors in showbiz. Excerpts:
You’ve been acting since the 1990s. What prompted you to take up direction after all these years?
I am a professionally trained filmmaker and have worked behind the camera for around five to six years. The acting bug was so strong that I decided to postpone film direction for many years. I wasn’t offered good roles in the last 10 years or so, and I did not want to do something that I didn’t enjoy. The last time I enjoyed doing a film was Jolly LLB (2013). Otherwise, the kind of roles I got made me feel like a glorified extra. It never helped me professionally and because I was choosy about films, I was suddenly out of work. I spent a long time feeling frustrated and so, it was important to put my mind to better things than just waste my energy.
Your directorial debut Khajoor Pe Atke is a dark comedy. This isn’t a genre that is easy to crack and it’s still being explored in Hindi cinema.
My film is inspired from a few incidents that I have experienced. When you observe peculiar things around a situation multiple times, you start wondering if there’s a story there. So many times, in a serious situation, people observe or say something that’s off the mark and that becomes funny. My film explores such situations in life. I have always been inspired by films like Chupke Chupke (1975), Khoobsurat (1980), Khatta Meetha (1978) and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983). They don’t make films like that anymore. I want to stress on the fact that there is a market for all kinds of films, whether it is India or abroad. I wanted to explore the genre of dark comedy because I won’t be able make a slapstick or sex comedy. I am no one to judge here because I just made my first film, but slapstick comedies in India are mainly about jokes forwarded on your phone.
You have an ensemble cast with talented actors like Vinay Pathak, Seema Pahwa and Manoj Pahwa in your film. Do you feel that there is a lack of opportunities for such actors in our film industry that’s always hankering for big stars?
In our industry, there is a general lack of opportunities for talented actors. We can clearly say that there is a lot of talent in the film industry, but unfortunately, good actors have to often play merry-go-round around the stars in our films. The comedy genre has taken centre stage for sure, but the ‘Yeh toh comedy actor hai’ kind of labels have still not disappeared. We have actors like Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Vinay Pathak and Dolly Ahluwalia, who have great comic timing, but they are often labelled as comedians. They can deliver so much more. Also, I feel, once you have a script that works, it automatically finds its way to good actors.
Since this is your first film with an ensemble cast of good actors but not big names, was it difficult to get a producer on board?
I waited for a long time, and then I came across some incredible producers who did not ask me, ‘Poster pe kaun hoga’. They were keen to hear the script. We also toyed around with the idea of roping in a star to sell the film. A couple of stars we spoke to were even happy with the script and suggested some changes. But the producers weren’t keen on changing the script, so we let go of the idea of having a star.
What were the challenges of donning the director’s hat, after having been on the other side of the camera for so long? Do you want to continue making films or would you want to go back to acting?
Most of your job is done when you work with talented actors. When I used to act, it was all about being in your space and following the director’s instructions. As a director, I was not just handling the actors, but looking after an entire unit of 100 people. To me, direction was a happily tiring and satisfying experience for me. As an actor, you can emotionally switch off once you come home from the set, but as a director, it is an emotional process that keeps going on for many months. I have made an honest film and I hope the masses will like it. I would love to continue acting, too, if there are good offers.
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