Posted:
I didn't want to ride piggyback on my sister's success'
Kabir Sadanand on acting versus directing and refusing to use Kunika Lall's name in the industry
After Ek Ladki Anjani Si, you're not to be seen on TV. Have you quit TV for films?
I can never quit television, it has been my foundation and has made me what I am today. It's stupid to say 'I'm taking a break from TV', but right now, till I get the kind of work that excites me, I'm concentrating on my film scripts. I guess I wasn't in the viewers' face all the time, because I have a bad reputation of doing just one show at a time.
So what kind of role are you waiting for?
I've played the entire bandwidth of roles. From a serious role of a good guy in Shagun to a villain in
Ek Ladki... and Kumkum to comedy to a fun-loving doctor in Dhadkan, I've done it all. I've even played a eunuch in Chameli! So now I'm waiting for a role which will really challenge me. Maybe a grey character, not the proverbial negative, but a character that has poetic reasoning for his ways and deeds.
You've also directed TV thrillers like Sony's CID, Aahat, Special Bureau. Do you prefer acting or directing for the small screen?
If it's a weekly, I'd choose directing. If it's a daily, then acting. There are too many responsibilities as a director! But sadly today, the creativity has gone out of acting for television. TV is a hardcore industry now.
Television or films?
They're two completely different identities. Except that television is where the money is! I'd say TV for productivity and films for creativity. Those who say otherwise are lying.
Your directorial debut Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao was a love story. Why debut with an old formula?
The subject can be tried and tested, but it's the treatment and the way the characters relate to the script that make it different. A love story has a set formula: boy meets girl, they fall in love, they either break up or they live happily ever after. But love means different things to different people, of different backgrounds and different ages. The nuances make it different.
Not many people know that you are Kunika Sadanand Lall's brother…
I wanted to make it on my own, instead of piggy-backing on my sister's success. I told myself, if I was worth it, I would survive, or else I'd be dropped. I guess I survived!
I can never quit television, it has been my foundation and has made me what I am today. It's stupid to say 'I'm taking a break from TV', but right now, till I get the kind of work that excites me, I'm concentrating on my film scripts. I guess I wasn't in the viewers' face all the time, because I have a bad reputation of doing just one show at a time.
So what kind of role are you waiting for?
I've played the entire bandwidth of roles. From a serious role of a good guy in Shagun to a villain in
Ek Ladki... and Kumkum to comedy to a fun-loving doctor in Dhadkan, I've done it all. I've even played a eunuch in Chameli! So now I'm waiting for a role which will really challenge me. Maybe a grey character, not the proverbial negative, but a character that has poetic reasoning for his ways and deeds.
You've also directed TV thrillers like Sony's CID, Aahat, Special Bureau. Do you prefer acting or directing for the small screen?
If it's a weekly, I'd choose directing. If it's a daily, then acting. There are too many responsibilities as a director! But sadly today, the creativity has gone out of acting for television. TV is a hardcore industry now.
Television or films?
They're two completely different identities. Except that television is where the money is! I'd say TV for productivity and films for creativity. Those who say otherwise are lying.
Your directorial debut Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao was a love story. Why debut with an old formula?
The subject can be tried and tested, but it's the treatment and the way the characters relate to the script that make it different. A love story has a set formula: boy meets girl, they fall in love, they either break up or they live happily ever after. But love means different things to different people, of different backgrounds and different ages. The nuances make it different.
Not many people know that you are Kunika Sadanand Lall's brother…
I wanted to make it on my own, instead of piggy-backing on my sister's success. I told myself, if I was worth it, I would survive, or else I'd be dropped. I guess I survived!
ON MY OWN: Kabir Sadanand and (right) Kunika Lall
cheers
resh
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
CID
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