Reza Noorani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 17, 2018)

From acting in iconic television shows like Hum Log to being relegated as the portly happy-go-lucky guy in films, Manoj Pahwa has seen it all. Despite being typecast as the ‘father of the bride’ or the ‘jolly boss’ in Bollywood, he has made the most of the roles offered to him. The actor will now be seen playing a pivotal character in the upcoming family comedy, Khajoor Pe Atke, written and directed by Harsh Chhaya. Manoj talks to BT about the middle-class mentality of his character in the film, the reason why he has been stereotyped and the experience of acting alongside his wife, Seema Pahwa, on the big screen for the first time.

What were your concerns while working with a debutant director in Khajoor Pe Atke?
I have known Harsh both professionally and as a friend for many years. When he told me that he is making a film, the first thing that I wanted to do was listen to the script. The reason I did the film was because it is written so well, but I did not know how Harsh would turn out as a director. There’s always an apprehension when an actor wants to be a director, because one has not seen him work in that capacity. Also, when an actor turns into a filmmaker, the ‘actor’ side of his personality is more dominant than the ‘filmmaker’ side and that can become a problem. Thankfully, we never had that issue.

You play the eldest brother in a dysfunctional middle-class family and your character is emotional and hyper. Do you relate to the character?
Khajoor Pe Atke revolves around a typical middle-class family. Just like in the film, I am the eldest in my family, too. The thing with elder siblings is that we become mature ahead of our time. Parents keep telling the older child, ‘You are the eldest. If you act childish, what will the younger siblings do?’ But parents forget that the eldest is also a kid at the end of the day. He is coaxed into feeling so grown-up that he actually grows up. He learns to dole out unnecessary advice. I have been the elder kid in real life, so I did not have a problem identifying with my character. We have all seen such people, mostly at weddings, where there is always that one guy who feels upset because the family did not ‘formally’ ask him to eat!

In the past, you have done some memorable work on TV in the ‘80s serial Hum Log and later, Office Office. Do you plan to return to the small screen?
Quality has overtaken quantity on Indian television. The reason is that one has to make 25 episodes in a month. If the ratings are good, then you have to keep churning out new material. Be it writers, directors or actors, you cannot bring in so much fresh material in such less time, which is why the quality suffers. Also, the working conditions on TV are odd. CINTAA (Cine & TV Artists Association) has now made a rule of 12-hour work days, but even then, actors end up working for 14 to 15 hours. The content, too, is the same — saas-bahu and naagin shows. That’s why, after Office Office, I did not feel like working on television. I have done TV for 15 years and back then, the subjects were good and the shows were aired once every week. If you had one weekly show where you played the main character, you could work for 10 days in a month and truly give it your best. I can’t do a hectic 25-days-a-month schedule.

Do you think that you’ve been typecast as a jolly character in most of your films?
Yes, people have typecast me as a fat, happy-go-lucky actor. But I also understand the way things work from the perspective of a producer or a director. If a filmmaker wants a funny character in an out-and-out commercial film, he will not experiment and cast an actor like Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He will cast an actor like me. I understand that. So, when I get the same type of roles — the father of the bride or the hero or a jolly boss — as an actor, I can at least approach it differently. I know that from the seven billion people on earth, there may be a few thousands who resemble me physically. But still, no two people are the same. So, I try to think and act in a certain manner that befits the character. My aim is to play a character that allows me to break my image and step out of my comfort zone, but there are not as many opportunities. Also, you have to survive in an expensive city like Mumbai. So, an actor can’t say, ‘Now that I have played the role of a cop, I will refuse similar roles’. From the seven films offered to me, I can select the two that I love and give it my all.

Though you have worked with your wife Seema Pahwa on TV and in theatre, this is the first time you are working together in a film. How was the experience?
We have travelled the length of the country while working together in plays. We used to travel in trains because there was no money in theatre. Jo dosti gareebi mein hoti hai na, woh lambi chalti hai. Humney toh shaadi bhi karli (laughs!) Our association goes back a long way. We didn’t get to work in films together because when we shifted to Mumbai, she was not offered any good roles. The reason was that she was already known as Badki in Hum Log and she had such a strong image of the character, that people typecast her. After 17 to 18 years, when she worked in Aankhon Dekhi (2013) and Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012), that image finally shattered. People got to know that Badki was still alive. After that, she did award-winning films like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) and Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017). While casting for my character’s wife in Khajoor Pe Atke, Harsh thought that she’d be a natural in the role. Performing with her didn’t feel like a new thing because we have acted together for so many years.