How does one introduce Satish Kaushik? In a career spanning 30 years, he has made a sizeable (pun intended) contribution to Bollywood, theatre, Indian television and international cinema as an actor, producer and director. Importantly, even three decades later, he has an insatiable appetite for his craft. As he gears up for the television sitcom Sumit Sambhal Lega, where he plays Jasbir Walia, that will air from tonight on Star Plus, this multi-faceted personality touches on the high and low points of his life and career. Excerpts from his interview...

You start a new journey on television tonight as Jasbir Walia...
I've been working continuously for 30 years. 24 has paved the way for finite series on TV becoming popular. This entire year has gone in shooting for Sumit Sambhal Lega. It is the adaptation of the American show Everybody Loves Raymond and I play the role of Frank, Raymond's father, in this case Sumit's father. I've made it more obnoxious, more interesting. It is not the central role but it is a juicy one and has a lot of scope. I'm a lazy man from a Delhi household, who talks in the 'aabe tubhe' language. I'm constantly eating and insulting people! It is a character with a lot of layers and though he seems obnoxious on the face of it, he has an endearing quality about him. I accepted the show because I was happy with the brand. Jeremy Stevens, one of the the writers of the original series came over, we had readings and workshops. It is all so well executed.

Three decades as an actor and you're still as excited about this role...
Acting is therapeutic for me. I have made so many names popular. Whether it is Calendar (Mr India), Pappu Pager (Deewana Mastana), German (Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain), Jumbo (Gharwali Baharwali), Kunj Biharilal (Haseena Maan Jaayegi), Mutthu Swamy (Saajan Chale Sasural) or Airport (Swarg), people on the street address me by all these names. Something tells me Jasbir will also become as popular as the characters I have named. I've done so much in three decades - from acting in films to producing and directing movies, to producing television shows, theatre and now acting on TV. I've also directed commercials. I always wanted to be busy.

When did the acting bug bite?
I stayed at the Naiwala Lane in Karol Bagh, New Delhi. When I was eight, I told my father - my name should come in the newspaper some day. I was the most ignored child in my school till I did a mono-act play on the last day of Std XI. Everyone was very impressed by it. That very moment I became the star of my school. The claps motivated me to take admission in Delhi's Kirori Mal College, which encouraged dramatics. Amitabh Bachchan is from the same college. Professor Frank Thakurdas, a patron of the arts from our college told me, 'Satish, don't do anything else in life after passing out from here. Become an actor'. I thought he was just humouring me, especially because I knew that I lacked good looks. But my professor turned around and told me, 'Never mind your looks. When I see you on stage, you are the ultimate good-looking person for me.' He is the one who put in a word for me at the National School of Drama (NSD) and this changed my life.

You came to Mumbai next?
I did a six-month course at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and then came to Mumbai. After a year at NSD and a six month stint at the FTII, I worked with the Auroras of D'Decor for a year in their textile mill and earned Rs 400 a month. My first day's job at the mill in Vikhroli was to sweep the dust off the yarn bundles. I had been gloating over the reviews that I got for my plays at NSD and thereafter, the praise I received at the FTII and here, I was being made to sweep in a mill! However, since I knew that I had to survive in Mumbai to pursue my ultimate dream of acting, I just continued. I told myself  'if you sweep the dust off these looms well, your path in Mumbai too will be a smooth one'. This positive attitude is what got me going and paid dividends. My boss saw my play Bichchoo at Prithvi and was mighty impressed. When I reported at the mill the next morning, he said to me, 'You're lacking in the looks department, but you're a terrific actor. Whatever you do, do it with passion.' I became Shekhar Kapur's assistant. I waylaid him at the airport and asked him to take me.

Is Shekhar your godfather in Bollywood?
Frankly, I think Javed Akhtar saab is my godfather. My relationship with Shekhar was very fruitful. I assisted him on Masoom and Joshilaay. Here I met Javed saab, Boney Kapoor and Anil Kapoor. Javed saab asked me not to think small ever. I did one scene in Woh 7 Din and I forged a lifetime of friendship with Shekhar, Anil, Boney and of course, Javed saab. Anil is responsible for many good things in my career.

Any more additions on the friends list?
Yes, Anupam Kher and Jayantilal Gada.

Boney entrusted you with with two big films - Prem and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (RKRCKR), right?
Yes, RKRCKR was launched as a magnum opus. But both Prem and RKRCKR flopped. That really upset my morale. I then ventured into television with O Maria, Yeh Shaadi Nahin Ho Sakti and Philips Top 10. I was producing four to five programmes on Sony. But my heart was in films. I was down but never out. The big Bollywood directorial break came again with the Anil-Kajol starrer Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain. After that, I never had to look back. I had also become very busy as an actor. I did around 15-16 films with David Dhawan as an actor.

Isn't it true that David actually offered you Raja Babu, the role that Shakti Kapoor later did? Why did you opt out?
David gave me Raja Babu immediately after RKRCKR flopped. At the photoshoot, he wanted me to stand in a striped underwear with a naada hanging down and a Charlie Chaplin moustache. The get-up was very funny but I was nervous, thinking that after such a colossal flop, if I stood in an underwear, people would think I was finished. So, I requested David to give me something else. That's when he offered me Saajan Chale Sasural, where I played a South Indian. I saw this as a tribute to Mehmood, whom I deeply admired and who had played a South Indian in Padosan. It is ironical that both Shakti and I won Filmfare Awards for actors in best comic roles in two consecutive years.

You were fortunate to work with some of the biggest names...
Yes, I worked with Salman Khan (Tere Naam), Anil on several films and Tusshar (Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai). However, as far as my leading ladies go, I've worked with the most established names including Sridevi, Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kajol. I recall I was nervous about working with Kajol in Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain. She was fresh from the success of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and I was thinking, 'God, how will I convince her to do my film.' But the moment I met her on her farm in Khandala and she yelled, 'Aye Pappu Pager,' I knew things would be easier. I realised that when you speak to Kajol, you have to be honest. So, I narrated the script to her without mincing the melodrama. Of course, her first reaction was, 'Satish, it is too melodramatic.' But once she was convinced that there was no other way you could approach the script, she cooperated fully.

Heard you told Anupam Kher once that you would attempt suicide. Is this true?
When RKRCKR failed, I was at a hotel in Hyderabad and was so dejected that I was contemplating suicide. I was newly married and my wife Shashi was wondering what she had got into. Anupam called the general manager of the hotel and said 'please save my friend.' Also, a little later I was at a pub in Mumbai where I met Mahesh Bhatt. I was wearing a dejected expression and told him that I was feeling terrible because my film had flopped. He gave me a smack on my face (albeit playfully) and said, 'your film has flopped, you haven't. Treat films as a part of your life, they're not your entire life.' I came home that day and made a life-graph. I told myself that I had had such humble beginnings. God, my friends and colleagues had paved the way for me to become so successful, then how could I feel defeated just because I had suffered one setback? People who were better-looking and better-off than me were still struggling, while I had managed to reach some place. So, I told myself, 'Satish you need a kick on your arse.' And I picked up the pieces and started again.

You also lost your son Kush to an accident...
The biggest tragedy in my life was losing Kush 20 years ago. Shashi and I could not get over this tragedy. The accident shook me up. I was on top of things as far as my career went. I was elated, when at the premiere of RKRCKR, my wife was pregnant with our first child. And then we lost our son. I realised that as far as destiny is concerned, nothing is planned and fixed. This really shook me up. Today, my son, too, would have been around the same age as Anil's son Harsh and perhaps he, too, may have chosen to be a part of Bollywood. Not a single day goes by without remembering him. Three years ago my daughter Vanshika came into our lives. She is the biggest source of joy for us, the antidote to our sadness. She has filled the gap.

International honour came your way with Brick Lane...
I did Brick Lane and believe me, the producers were in a fix initially on whether a comic actor like me could pull it off. But I had the solid background of theatre. Sarah Gavron's Brick Lane and Dev Benegal's Road Movie opened global doors for me. I met Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese at the Tribeca Film Festival. I won a lot of accolades at the Toronto Festival for Brick Lane. And I had the privilege of meeting Sir Ben Kingsley at Doha. A new phase in my career began as I started hobnobbing with Hollywood stars at international film festivals. In fact, even before I could approach Ben, he turned around and said, 'Am I meeting this great actor from Brick Lane?' He even introduced me to his wife, who is also a famous actor.

On the social front, you have adopted a village in Haryana.
Yes, I have adopted my paternal village Dhanaunda that is in the Mahendragarh district of Haryana. I got a lot of aid from the local government for making pakka streets and even a sports stadium is being constructed there. I also run a NGO called The Roots that holds workshops in girls' schools. The motto is to tell girls to dream big and become achievers in their chosen field. I believe if God has given you enough, you must give back to society.

Are you planning on directing again?
I have directed around 14 movies and filmmaking remains a passion. The script of my next film is almost ready. It is a gritty drama based on a book. However, I will announce the film at a later day. Acting in television, theatre and films has kept me quite occupied. My play Salesman Ramlal, which is an adaptation of Death Of A Salesman, has kept me fully busy. Besides that, I'm currently doing roles in Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab, where I play Shahid Kapoor's uncle and Wedding Pullav. I also have Ritesh Sinha's Promise Dad, that has an international starcast and is expected to release soon.

Deven Bhojani is known to some as Gattu (from Baa Bahoo Aur Baby), to others as Patel (from Office Office), but to most as Karima (from Dekh Bhai Dekh). Presently, the actor is directing the Indian adaptation of Everybody Loves Raymond (Sumit Sambhal Lega), whilst simultaneously working on the script for his directorial debut in feature films, an untitled action film for Vipul Shah's Sunshine Pictures. “He liked my work in Pukaar and decided to let me direct a film,“ says Bhojani. Pukaar, the mini-series he directed, starred Rannvijay Singha and Raj Babbar, and concluded in February this year.

Leaning back on his chair at Vipul Shah's Andheri office, he credits Gujarati theatre for teaching him all that he has learnt. Bhojani discovered his calling for the stage as a commerce student of NM College. “My TV debut was in Malgudi Days when it used to be a one-episode story. I was cast for the story of Nithya,“ he reminisces. “Mahendra Joshi, who'd direct most of our plays, referred me to Arundhati Rao, whose husband, the late Shankar Nag, directed the show. She also got my reference from Naushil Mehta, who had written a sex comedy called Doctor Doctor, where I shared the stage with Paresh (Rawal), Apara Mehta and Darshan Zariwala,“ he says, adding he was only 17 then.

Bhojani's move into direction was accidental and he first wielded the megaphone when the director of Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka had to temporarily take off because of a personal emergency. Bhojani has since directed Sarabhai VS Sarabhai and Instant Khichdi, both raking in a cluster of TV awards.

Despite his directorial laurels, Bhojani's landmark achievement was playing an autistic child in Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, a show that survived five years and made his character Gattu a household name. Bhojani says, “There were tiffin boxes, kites and even rakhis with Gattu's face on them. But the funniest story is when a friend went to buy a goat for Bakri Eid and the butcher demanded a hefty sum since the goat was very 'Gattu'.“ He laughs at having becoming an “adjective for someone who is very healthy“.

After nearly 700 episodes when the show ran its course, Bhojani was burnt out and needed a break. “I was also the creative director on the show, so I had 10 people pouncing on me each time I reached the sets. From which blouse is right for whom to which storyline needs development, everything needed my attention. The show was like a well and I was a frog. I needed to get out and see the world,“ says the actor, who headed off for a filmmaking course in the US just after wrapping up the show in 2010.

He signed up for a direction course at the University of Southern California, impressed by the fact that the programme invited guest speakers like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas. But the one speaker who actually left him teary-eyed was someone quite familiar. “Aamir Khan was to come for a talk and screen Peepli Live,“ remembers Bhojani, who had worked with Khan before. When Khan was about to begin his talk, he was surprised to spot Bhojani and got off the stage to hug him. Khan also shared with the audience how his break in acting could be credited to Bhojani. Bhojani says, “I had done a play about army life called Kesar Bhina. I was also doing my articleship - mandatory for CA aspirants at the time. So when the play went on tour, I didn't get leave to travel. Aamir, who worked backstage then, replaced me on the tour. Since I had to give him the handover, I got to know him for the first time.“ Years later, Bhojani was cast in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar when Khan saw him in a film called Kafila and referred him to Mansoor Khan.

“My passion for direction also began with Jo Jeeta, since I assisted Mansoor Khan, after Farah Khan, who assisted him in the first schedule, got busy with choreography,“ he says with a smile. Post Jo Jeeta.., Bhojani's career took off as he was flooded with acting offers. David Dhawan's Andaz, Mahesh Bhatt's Naraaz, Vikram Bhatt's Janam, Laurence D'souza's Sangram and a string of other films saw Bhojani play the “hero ka dost“, a typecast he didn't mind at the time.

“Mujhe shaadi karni thi, ghar lena tha, paise kamane the. (I had to get married, buy a house, make money.) So I accepted every film. I barely remember all the names. I would just ask, 'how much will I get paid per day?'“ laughs Bhojani. He ticked off “shaadi, gaadi and ghar“ from his list before turning selective about work.

Today, Bhojani is excited about his upcoming TV show, Sumit Sambhal Lega which is to go on air soon. He says it will be a 'first of its kind' on many counts. “Just like in the West, we're conducting technical rehearsals, stage rehearsals, script readings with the cast where the entire team brainstorms on how a scene can be improved. There's no ego, and everyone is cumulatively working towards a better product,“ he says of the show, where Namit Das is playing the lead role that was essayed by Ray Romano in the original.

Star Plus is set to launch Sumit Sambhal Lega, which is the Indian adaptation of the globally loved American sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. And for the first time, one of the writers of the original show is actively involved in creating an adaptation for the Indian market. Steve Skrovan, the writer of Everybody Loves Raymond and his team, play an important role in the making of the desi version. We spoke to Steve about his experiences and why he believes everybody will love Sumit. Excerpts...

What are your thoughts on Everybody Loves Raymond coming to India?
It was such a privilege to be a part of this from the beginning. I got to learn about Indian culture and television. The experience has been great. On the first day, we had a workshop where I sat and listened to everybody about Indian television. Star Plus is the largest brand and most appropriate to get this show to people in India.

What was the first thing you learnt about our TV content during the workshop?
It was interesting to know that Indian television is largely driven by women. They control the remote. In America, we like to think that the men control the remote! It was good to see some Indian comedies, how they presented things and see if we could take our system of doing things and apply it here. Obviously, there are some limitations, there are certain things you can't do in terms of practices, also in terms of just production. But that was to be expected, that's all a part of my learning experience. What better way for someone like me to be in a country and spend a good amount of time, immersing myself in a culture and literally talking about the stories of people's lives. Here is a story we did in America and now the point is how we would handle this in another country. Talking with the writers, what the issues would be, what the relationships would be, what the attitudes would be and dig out how they would be different, but for the most part, finding out we are all really the same.

How much time have you spent in India so far?
In the past six months, I have made three trips. I spent two weeks in November, then five weeks in January-February and then, I came back in April for another week. Even when I was in America, I was doing long-distance work. They would send me outlines and scripts and I would give them notes. They would send me cuts of the show and I would give notes, which is interesting for me because obviously I don't speak Hindi, but I would watch it with a translation next to me and see how everything was playing out.

How close is Sumit Sambhal Lega to Everybody Loves Raymond?
In essence, it is very close. Of course, there are certain episodes that you have to adapt. I was asked by the team if the parents in the Indian version can live in the same house (in the original, the parents visit the couple very often). I said, 'Sure, why not? Then you don't have to make excuses for why they are there all the time!' That made it easier.

Indian shows are known to be high on drama and that includes kitchen politics. Would you need to spice the show to cater to that?
I think it's already there. That's why Star wanted to do it because it's all about a family and family is universal. Also, one of the central conflicts is between the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law and I was told that this relationship is huge in Indian soaps. Even though the show will revolve around the man, the relationship between his wife and the family seems to fit perfectly in Indian culture.

What about the different styles of functioning between the television industry here and abroad?
There are economic limitations to how you can produce things in India versus how you produce things in America. There, you would do a show once a week and a five-day production schedule for each episode. We can't do that anywhere, except UK or some other parts of the US. Everywhere else you have to shoot it like a movie, while in America we shoot it like a play in front of an audience, where we bring in real audience laughter. Here, actors have to go from one episode to the other and there is a lot of pressure on the director and writers to make sure the actors are oriented for the scenes.

Any different practice that you have brought in from the West...
The Indian writers, producers and actors took the idea of a writers' room seriously, where we gather, brainstorm and rewrite together as much as possible. Actors come in and rehearse and do what we call a table read, which is read the script sitting around the table and the writers can hear the jokes and make changes. What was exciting was to see every one enthusiastic about the material. Sometimes, actors would come in to just read the script. That dedication was very encouraging to me. They were honouring our work and it was a bonding experience for all of us.

MORE ON THE SHOW
The popular American television sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond originally ran from September 13, 1996 to May 16, 2005 and has had reruns across many countries. The show revolves around the life of Raymond Barone (Ray Romano), a sportswriter living with his wife Debra and their kids. Raymond often finds himself in the middle of problems and arguments and finds it difficult to take a stand, especially if there is a chance that it will bring down his mother's wrath on him.