* Ram Kapoor * Fan Club

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Posted: 15 years ago
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Hi Guys...

Welcome to the

Ram Kapoor Fan Club @ Basera Forum

This is a Thread totally & Completed Dedicated to None Other than

Mr. Ram Kapoor - The Man Of Substance

He has Rocked the Small Screen With Kasamh Se & Now he's Back with a Bang On Basera.

You Can Join His FC & Be a Part of His Virtual Mansion Right Here.

You All Discuss About Him for the Shows & Everything.

You Can Also Post Pictures / Images/ Articles / Creations / etc Related to Him on this Thread.

I Have Tried my Best To Frame the Informations Available about Him at my Best.

You too Can Contribute & It'll Be Updated.

Your Valuable Comments & Suggestions are Always Welcome.

Hope You All will have a Nice time Reading & Enjoying the Stuff Already Posted Here.

Thanking You

Enjoy


As

Keshubhai Sanghvi

{Head of the Sanghvi Family}

Tall, well-built, handsome Keshubhai has not even a faint memory of his father's face. His mother has brought him up the hard way, working in a diamond factory. It was her responsibility to keep the premises clean and she often took Keshubhai with her. As a little boy he used to quietly observe the experts when they scrutinized and examined the diamonds. He had thus become an expert himself. He drinks his tea by blowing lightly into the cup before taking a sip. He is always dressed in a dhoti and kurta, wears a suit only when he was compelled to wear it for a meeting. His clothes have to taken out by his wife Ketki and handed over to him. He loves his mother and wife equally. Keshubhai is a vegetarian. Every Sunday he has his friends over for lunch. Apart from his four close friends he always has others from the neighborhood savoring the lunch cooked by his daughters-in-law. The lunch is enjoyed amidst much boisterous chatter. The bahus quietly swear under their breath as they feel that they don't even get Sundays to themselves and the house becomes an old age home on Sundays. Keshubhai reads abd writes only Gujarati. His wife Ketki, on the other hand, speaks in other langaues and reads and writes English. This was because her father was railway officer and was posted in different cities. Keshubhai respects his wife's intelligence and he always shows Ketki the papers and documents he has to sign and takes her opinion. He is cheerful and jovial and loves to wisecrack and laugh at himself. This facet, sadly, is destined to become a cruel joke when the true character of his sons comes to fore.




Personal Details

Birth Name : Ram
Nick : Ram, Jai Walia
DOB : 01 September 1973, 36 yrs.
Star Sign: Virgo
Gender : Male
Status : Married
Taken By : Gautami Kapoor
Height : 5'9"
Debut : Naya
Wed-locked : Gautami Kapoor

Personal Quotes

"I have no reasons to complain since I've been very lucky. I've struggled so to speak in the beginning since I had to meet a lot of people when I wasn't getting work for six months, but then I got my break so I don't think I've anything negative to speak about the industry."

"I follow a certain thing. I am the kind of actor who will never limit himself to a certain kind of role, whether it is positive or negative. So what I do when the script comes to me is to read it completely and see whether I like the entire script. Is it something that makes sense to me?"

"I've always been into movies. My family has exposed me to movies - not only Hollywood and Hindi films - but movies from all over the world from a very young age."

"Method acting is seen in a bad light because a lot of people don't see the need for it. It's too real so a lot of people feel why go through all this when you can act it out. The whole concept of method acting is through your senses ' to feel everything - if your are not feeling it then don't do it."

"I like the fact that he is very strong and that there is a lot of realism in his character. He has both the shades good and bad in him, I too can be very good at times and very bad at times like Jai Walia."

"Though I studied in Sherwood, Nainital, which is known for football and theatre, I was good in neither."

"I rate myself an average or may be an above average actor. I am not as versatile as I would like to be. I think I need a lot of growing to do as an artist."

"There is a world of difference between Films and TV in terms of acting. In films you have the luxury of time so you can really get inside your character and try and work in a lot more detail where as in TV, it is exactly the opposite because you are always fighting against time in."

"Fatherhood is one of the most amazing feelings a man ever feel which is difficult to describe in words. Its a mix of happiness, nervousness, fear and an extreme sense of responsibility."

"That's why my whole family speaks of my bond with my grandfather. He was the only man I would do anything to please."

Never for a second have I ever thought 'Did I do the right thing by becoming an actor?'... I dont consider it as work. A total dream come true."

"We're the perfect odd couple. I think thats what clicks with the audience; this is the kind of love one does not normally get to see."

"I was the first one to tell women, 'Listen, I'm a big bas***d.' I've never led somebody on. I would tell women all men are dogs."


Ram Kapoor (born 1, September 1973) is a television actor. He is best known for his role as Jai Walia in India tv drama show, Kasamh Se.

His major career success has been Kasamh Se on Zee TV produced by Ekta Kapoor and Ghar Ek Mandir, also produced by Ekta Kapoor, Ghar Ek Mandir finished its last season last year.

A friend who has helped Ram to success is Ekta Kapoor, by casting him in roles in two TV programmes.

He studied in Sherwood, Nainital. He acted in plays in college and wanted to pursue a career in drama, so he went abroad and studied acting. Ram also appeared as an extra and had a small part in the movie Monsoon Wedding. He choose Stanislovsky School of Method Acting in America, graduated from acting school and came back to India.

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Popularly known as

Mr. Jai Walia

Shows in acted in

Ghar Ek Mandir (Sony TV), Kasamh se (Zee TV), Kyunki saas bhi bahu thi (Star Plus)

Additional achievements

Acted in critically acclaimed movies like Monsoon Wedding, Hazaron

Khwaishein aisi & Kal, Yesterday and Tomorrow


Personality traitsConfident, Successful, Charismatic, Dignified, Well spoken


Perfect fit for : MC, AFPs, Road shows, Product launches,Male - Brand endorsements

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As Jai Walia

Jai Walia is the character that actor Ram Kapoor portrayed in Kasamh Se. The character went through trials and tribulations including adultery against his wife, losing a child and killing his wife's mother. He didn't like bani but later he fell in love with her. Eventually together they went through many ups and downs. When the show started it gained some recognition because Ram had been in a main role in Ghar Ek Mandir.

When asked as to how Ram feels about the character Jai Walia he responded with, "I like the fact that he is very strong and that there is a lot of realism in his character. He has both the shades good and bad in him, I too can be very good at times and very bad at times like Jai Walia." The show had millions of viewers world wide. The serial's stars have won awards in the Indian Television Awards 2006 and been given Best Serial at the Sansui Television Awards 2007. He has a daughter and is married to gautami also acting in t.v dramas such as kyunki saas bi kabhi bahu thi.

He's one of the top actors in television thanks to one of the longest running television series - Kasamh Se. It's helped him bag several acting awards, put him firmly in the limelight and won him fans - young and old alike, quite something for someone who was never interested in acting. Things fell into place when Ram Kapoor was pushed into it by his school headboy (Tarun Deo, it was) at Sherwood.

"Sherwood is known for its theatre but I was never interested in theatre. When I was in the 9th standard, Aamir Raza Hussain came to direct our Founders Day play, I was pushed into going for the auditions by the school's head boy. I didn't think anything would come out of it. I just went for it, auditioned and ended up getting the role. Three months of rehersals, then the performance. Somewhere in that process, I realized that I really liked doing this, plus school gave me a very good response. I started taking theatre very seriously, I did a lot of theatre with Aamir Raza Hussain, then I went abroad, studied for it."

While he makes it sound very simple, things weren't all that easy. He didn't have the heart to tell his parents he was off to study theatre in the US and this is how he ended up charting his theatrical course:

"I went to America on the pretence of getting into UCLA at the film school. Once I got there I couldn't get into the theatre school I wanted to study in. So I stayed in America for a year, did odd jobs, sold cars, sold credit cards, insurance, just about everything to sustain myself. On my second attempt I got into the theatre school."

Once he got entry into the school of his choice, it was a lot of tough work, which involved the intense study of 'method acting', something that's always been his inspiration:

"Method acting is a very intense, very old way of learning acting. All my inspiration for acting comes from people who have studied method acting like Marlon Brando, Pacino, De Niro, so I wanted to go those kind of schools, which is why I applied for method acting. The easiest way to explain it is its internal acting. They teach you how to feel what you are performing. Not just perform but to feel it too. It's a very long drawn process but I'm very happy that I got to learn it."

That training has come handy for the persona he plays on television today. While he has a huge fan base, Ram Kapoor is best associated with playing the role of a much older man on the small screen. But he isn't afraid of being typecast:

"It's a fantastic role. I've never had a problem with playing a character much older than I actually am. My method acting training in fact, has taught me to play roles that I'm actually not. If I just have to be myself then I don't even need to act. If I act, I want to play every possible role - older, younger, positive, negative - that's where the challenge lies for me. So when I was told I have to play a role that's 10 years older than I actually am, I had no problems. There are people who do have problems but I have absolutely no issues playing an older man."

Just as he has no problems taking on roles that may make him look older, Ram Kapoor also has no problems staying put in television:

"It's a very exciting time to be in Indian television. I'm very proud of the fact that I'm in the television today. Lots of reporters and journalists who interview me back home always ask me if I want to make the transition to film and I always say I'm very happy being in television. I've done some cinema, parallel or art films as you'd call them, but the draw of television has been too intense. The exposure is a lot all over the world. This year alone, I've travelled to five different countries and the response everywhere has been phenomenal. Television is just booming in India and I can say with certainty that this is just the beginning and I'm extremely proud to be associated with it."

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Roles

Jai Walia ( Kasamh Se ) - portrayed as a business Mogul who does nothing but love and lose his wife, Bani, time and time again. At the moment he is a husband of Meera who think that she killed Bani but does not know that bani is still alive with a different face and name and he has 2 daughters which are bani's daughters. However, the real Bani is now back in the show with a new face and she is now going to take revenge from Meera of her past life.

Kasamh Se just had its concluding episode on March 31, 2009. This serial lasted from January 16, 2006 to March 31, 2009.

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Awards

  • Best Actor at Indian Telly Awards 2006 (popular category) for his portrayal as Jai Walia in the Serial Kasamh Se.
  • Couple of the year - Prachi Desai and her co-star Ram Kapoor won the award for their on screen chemistry in the show.
  • Best Actor at Hero Honda Indian Television Awards 2006 (Jury category) for his portrayal as Jai Walia in Kasamh Se.
  • Best Actor at Sansui Television Awards (2007) (Jury Category) for his portrayal as Jai Walia in Kasamh Se.
  • Best Actor at the Indian Telly Awards (2007) (popular category) for his portrayal of Jai Walia in Kasamh Se.
  • Best Actor at Sanui Television Awards (2008) (popular category) for his portrayal of Jai Walia in Kasamh Se.

Personal Life Rm Kapoor is married to Gautami Gadgil Kapoor, his co-actress in Ghar Ek Mandir. She left her career after they got married in 2003.

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Television

Basera as Keshubhai Sanghv

Rakhi Ka Swayamwar - as Host

Kasamh Se - as Jai Walia (full-fledged role)

Ghar Ek Mandir

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi - as Jas Thakral (cameo)

Kabhi Aaye Naa Judaai - as Rajeshwar Agnihotri

Manshaa - as Vinay (extended cameo role, he dies in this show)

Jhalak Dikhlaja 3 Dancing with the Stars - Got Eliminated in Round 5

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Images

'Method acting is about feeling the emotion'


'Method acting is seen in a bad light because a lot of people don't see the need for it. It's too real so a lot of people feel why go through all this when you can act it out. The whole concept of method acting is through your senses ' to feel everything - if your are not feeling it then don't do it.'



'You need to be competent, to be on time, to have a strong work ethic. If you have all these then its fine, you'll get more work as opposed to the kind of actor who producers don't want. What they want are people who are fast.'


Interview

The moment Ram Kapoor opted out of playing 'Rahul' in Sony Entertainment Television's daily soap Ghar Ek Mandir, it marked the beginning of viewers' disinterest in the series. The sudden change was met with nonplused reaction with people wondering why he left when the series was doing extremely well. Ditto among numerous review writers.

So tuned was the audience to the Rahul-Aanchal (played by Gautami Shroff) pairing that when Ashish Kapoor replaced Ram it failed to click with viewers. But it isn't just Ghar Ek Mandir that he has stepped out of. He is no more to be seen on Nyay and Kavita on Doordarshan Metro.

Indiantelevision.com's correspondent Harsha Khot met actor Ram Kapoor to know more about the sudden disappearing act from the television scenario and what he was currently doing:

Excerpts:
When and how did you get a break in television?

After graduating from acting school, I kept meeting people but the offers I was getting were pretty sideline work. Not that I was looking for only main leads but the roles were uninspiring so I kept saying no. Then in television I got a very good break, thanks to Mr Sudhir Mishra. He first called me to see him for a film. But that film did not work out. So two months later when we met he said there's a TV serial that he was going to direct and asked me if I would be interested in it. The serial was Nyay produced by Nimbus production house. The serial took time to pick up but once it got on air' six months later my phone started ringing nonstop for television.

No sooner had you become a name to reckon with in series like Nyay, Ghar Ek Mandir (GEM)and more recently in Kavita, that you suddenly disappeared altogether from television'

After Nyay for a while I did not take up any work. Then Ghar Ek Mandir came about, the screenplay was excellent, production house was Balaji. That got very popular and got me a lot of television work. Plus at one point I was doing four serials at one time.

I never wanted to do that much, but it all just kind of fell into my lap. It was kind of hard to say no to work. Sanghursh, Kavita, Nyay, and Ghar Ek Mandir. At that point I decided I didn't wanted so much.

So I left two serials. One was Kavita and the second was Sanghursh.

In Sanghursh my role was such that I go away after 13 episodes for about 8 episodes and then make a comeback. So I took a decision that I would not come back and my producers were okay with that.

Then this big project came along, I am not at liberty to talk about it but it is a project that an actor like myself has been waiting for. Not that it's a lead role or anything but it is a fantastic project. And that required a lot of preparation, lot of training, and they wanted exclusivity. Which is justified. So at that point I had to also take a decision to opt out of Ghar Ek Mandir, though I did not want to do that because I was very close to the show for many reasons. It did very well for me careerwise. My fans loved it. Secondly the whole unit was like a family. It was brilliant. In fact I was told to leave it (GEM) by December-end but I still continued through the whole of January, February and half of March because it took me two more months to adjust to the fact that I had to leave it.

Since then I haven't taken on any television work and have been doing pretty much only this project.

Why is the project taking so much time?
It is a very big project. There are a lot of big names involved because of that coordinating becomes a big problem. So there are a lot of delays happening. It could take at least a year more.

How has your experience been with the television industry?
I have no reasons to complain since I've been very lucky. I've struggled so to speak in the beginning since I had to meet a lot of people when I wasn't getting work for six months, but then I got my break so I don't think I've anything negative to speak about the industry. Yes it is true in the Indian television industry there is a lot of unprofessionalism. It is not very organised like the corporate world. If you are an actor who has chosen to be a part of this industry then you have to look always at the good and not the bad. If you focus on the bad then what's the point. There is bad in every industry if you focus on the good then you're okay.

You left Ghar Ek Mandir quite abruptly I believe it hasn't been taken well by audience and even the production house?
I don't have anybody else to blame. As an actor definitely you have to be true to your audience, they are everything after all. But in terms of career you are always looking for breaks and when it finally comes you have to take the plunge. I am not a star who has things in control. I can't say okay I'll do this one year later and they'll wait for me. So there I was faced with a choice. Either I continue with my work because I know that's what my audience wants and I do that at the risk of letting go something like this or since I finally got the opportunity that I was looking for definitely I have to go for it.

In GEM since most of you all, even Sangamitra and two or three others, left the serial as the same time, couldn't the show have been concluded before a big chunk of the team left?
We did talk about it. When I met Ekta (Kapoor, Balaji Telefilms creative director) and Shobhaji (Shobha Kapoor, Balaji promoter) they heard me out completely. They realised it was going to be a problem for the show, but they did understand that from an actor's point of view, he has to do this. When they spoke to the channel (Sony Entertainment Television), they put a lot of pressure because the channel was getting a lot of feedback from the audience. The Rahul-Anchal track was working very well so they didn't want anything to happen there. So at that point we - me and my CO-actors - met the scriptwriter, the Balaji team and the channel and suggested that the show be concluded. We offered to give extra dates around the show while an appropriate ending was worked out.

But at that point the show was doing very well and the channel did not want to end it.

Additionally, at the time I left, nobody knew that the other people would also leave. Though I was the first to leave, there were no talks at the time of any other people leaving.

It said that you left "unprofessionally".
Who is saying it?

The viewer definitely and even the production house?
I told Balaji Telefilms in January that I would have to leave pretty soon. This you can check back with my costars who were shooting with me. Everybody was informed about my leaving in the month of January.

In February I gave them over 30 days and 15 days in March. And luckily for me all the CO-actors the entire cast gave extra time as and when needed.

They had over a month's writing and shooting but instead of planning out a proper exist as they just continued as usual. Because at one end the channel was trying to extend my stay while the production house had hopes that I might stay on, so those 45 days were kind of wasted in terms of making a very crisp ending. So on my part I had informed them and had given them full month and a half. It was not like I suddenly said I am leaving next week.

Coming back to acting ' What brought you to it?
I've always been into movies. My family has exposed me to movies - not only Hollywood and Hindi films - but movies from all over the world from a very young age.

By chance I went to a school (Sherwood, Naini Tal) that has a very good acting tradition.

A very famous person called Amir Raza Hussain used to come from Delhi to direct our Founder's Day plays. I was in ninth standard when he has asked me to audition. Before that I hadn't done acting at all. I got selected as the second lead in the play called Charlie's Aunt and then we did three months of rehearsals and five performances. Other schools came to watch. I think throughout that rehearsal process and the actual performances I realised that acting is something I definitely want to do. After that I went to Delhi and did further theatre 'a lot of English plays.

When I realised I seriously want to pursue acting as a career. I decided to first go abroad and study acting. So I went to America and did method acting from Stanislovsky School of Method Acting because all my inspiration in terms of actors have been 'method actors'. All the people who get to me have all been method actors right from Marlon Brandon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino' anybody. So when I decided that I really want to pursue this.

I failed to get in at the first attempt so I worked in America for a year and a half. I finally managed admission and did the two year course, graduated and came back and got into the acting circuit. '

What are the things that you look for in a script?
I follow a certain thing. I am the kind of actor who will never limit himself to a certain kind of role, whether it is positive or negative. So what I do when the script comes to me is to read it completely and see whether I like the entire script. Is it something that makes sense to me? At that time I don't read it from the role's point of view at all. If I find it interesting then maybe after half an hour or so I read it again this time from the roles point of view that they want me to play. That's when I ponder over - do I like this character. How does he fit into the whole script, what are his good points, is he somebody who makes sense to me? Do I want to play this character? But the minute the script is read if I don't like it, even if the role is good then I don't normally take it.

Then I look into who is producing it, will they manage it. What is the production quality like?

You've acted in four serials so far. Of these, how many scripts have came to you beforehand?
In the beginning you don't get that chance because then you are looking for work and anybody who gives you work you are just not in the position to say, let me take a look at the script. But I was lucky enough in the sense that my first project (Nyay) was with Sudhir Mishra and Nimbus productions who knew exactly what they wanted to do with the show and what my character was all about.

Then, for six months I kept saying no to work I didn't take up any work till Ghar Ek Mandir came about. Good production house. When Ekta called me and spoke to me about the role she had a complete script and screenplay ready because it's a remake of a serial in the South Kudumbam, which was a hit, so they had adapted that completely to suit the Hindi audience. Every character was etched out very well, and again I knew exactly where the whole thing was going and where I fit in. So that was good.

After Ghar Ek Mandir, because it became so popular, my phone was ringing nonstop I said no to lot of scripts. Then Sangarsh came. Girish Mallik (director) called up and explained the role. Now there I didn't even know how the script and the story progressed but my role was a small and very tight one and it was a grey area. You don't know whether this guy is positive or negative. In that instance, without knowing the script I took up the role.

So overall I was just lucky.

What is you approach in terms of sketching out the character or in getting under the skin of it to bring it to life?
What is the history of this character? How has he come to this point? I go into the history of the character. Why is he the person that he is other than that?

A lot of actors, what they do is try and get into the character. I do the opposite. I try and make the character into myself. Everybody has all parts in them everybody has good, everybody had bad, everybody has mischief. All aspects of personality are there in every human being. When you read a character - whether a negative or positive - you find those emotions within yourself and make him as close to yourself. In my experience this comes out as very real. It doesn't come out as acting because you are being yourself as that person. So that is my approach. Because I studied method acting.

The Stanislovsky method is a very detailed approach to acting and there are specific things that you do' well I can't really get into that.

No please' there are conflicting views about the method acting approach so could you tell us more about it?
Method acting is seen in a bad light because a lot of people don't see the need for it. It's too real so a lot of people feel why go through all this when you can act it out. The whole concept of method acting is through your senses ' to feel everything - if your are not feeling it then don't do it. A lot of training goes into that. Method acting is only big in America. For instance in Europe in places like RADA (Royal Caf of Dramatic Arts) where they do Shakespeare plays, there they don't really do method, their approach is very different, it is external. Despite that approach they are brilliant. There they say what is the point in method acting, which in a way is right.

In the acting school that I went to the success ratio of graduation in method acting is very low. Less than 50 per cent. In my batch alone when we started there were 28 of us but in the end only 12 of us finally graduated. Some dropped out in the first year.

I will tell you in one paragraph what method acting is. Basically they believe that our five senses store memory and those memories store emotion. For instance everyone must have experienced this while on a holiday somewhere and they must have smelled something that reminds them about their childhood with their grandparents, or they tasted food that suddenly reminded them of something their grandmother used to cook. So this is just a basic example on how all the five senses store memory, and those memories bring up the emotion that particular memory is related/connected to whether it is a happy memory or sad memory.

Sense memory or method which uses sense memory is just training yourself more and more to be able to use yourself to bring up memories, to bring up emotion to make that real. So you are actually feeling the emotion. That is what method acting all about, but the problem is that people get too into it, which is why method acting gets a bad name. I like to believe in the concept of method acting. Every actor uses some method or the other to prepare so that makes him or her a method actor anyway, whether you are using sense memory whether you are going at the back of the stage and screaming out you are using a method anyway. I like to believe that is method acting. But yes there are a lot of mixed reviews on the method acting.

You said that you often catch up with Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino' through their movies. What about them do you like?

They are the epitome of method acting. Every time I watch them I learn from them. All the biggest names of method acting, they feel whatever they are doing so well that there's not a single moment when they are laughing or crying or whatever they are doing' they are actually feeling that. They are in it 100 per cent. If it is shown that somebody is dying in front of them and they are acting that they are actually feeling it. That's the height of method.

Basically acting is playing pretend. When we were small kids we would play chor-police. To be able to put yourself into this different world and to be able to play this person and be able to feel the person completely is something that has always attracted me. The people who do this the best, I can just watch them forever. Each time I learn something.

Are you ever spontaneous or do you follow method acting only?
No matter how much you train, acting is basically about spontaneity, about instincts. It's like painting. When you train an artist it is also very spontaneous and very instinctive no matter how much you learn. So it is a balance of both. You have to follow your gut feel, and your instincts.

Secondly, in my personal experience from acting in television in India (I haven't done any television abroad), if you do a lot of method you are asking for trouble. Because there are a lot of things that go into method, that go into it's research. A lot of preparation is required. But you've got to keep all that at the back of your head and forget it and then rely on yourself more to perform.

You need to be competent, to be on time, to have a strong work ethic. If you have all these then its fine, you'll get more work as opposed to the kind of actor who producers don't want. What they want are people who are fast.

What thoughts ran through your mind while acting during the initial stages? Are they any different now?

Well what went through my mind at that stage was the hope I don't mess up. I don't miss a line. Now with experience, the nervousness will still be there - be it on stage or camera - but it is in trying more and more to get into the character. To be as much like the person that you play as opposed to the person you are yourself. Definitely the nervousness is always going to be there. It will remain even 15 years from now. But it is much more about the role you are playing, the character you are playing, and the kind of dialogues, it is more about these now.

What brings out the best in you?
Before facing the camera I like to be prepared as far as my lines go. Have I understood the relationship that I'm having with the people in the scene completely. Once that homework is done, you forget about the script and everybody trusts one another. The actors trust one another, the director trusts the actor.

But while performing you let loose. Yes, you are following the script but suddenly you are going away from the script but it's still working. That definitely brings out the best in me.

Do you stick to the script or try to go beyond it?
I think what I personally try and achieve is after I've understood the script and my character well and how he fits within the framework of the script, you can trust yourself to go wherever.

And if that is not something the director wants he will cut it. Which is fine but at least it gives the director the opportunity to say cut or he just might say it is good. A lot of actors just stick to the script. I don't like doing that. I like to learn everything and then I leave it aside.

What qualities do you look for in a director?
A director who knows exactly what he wants from the project and he knows exactly what he wants from the actor. And after that a director who is willing to trust his actor. There is a term which I am sure everybody has heard which is called "actor's director". Now this term is rather freely used. But an actor's director is somebody who is willing to trust his actor. The director always has the visual in his mind. At the same time he is willing to see what the actor has to offer. That is trusting the actor.

What inspires you?
Acting and movies and plays is my world besides anything creative. Music definitely inspires me. The only kind of music that I don't like is heavy metal. I derive my inspiration from the people I admire, be it an actor or a musician. Anybody who I feel is 100 per cent into what they are doing. People who are clued to whatever they do, they are honest to their profession and they are willing to do anything and everything for that. That inspires me.

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Edited by starry.phoenix - 15 years ago

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rk_sg thumbnail
Posted: 15 years ago
#2

Ram got married to Gautami in 2003 and not 2006. They have 2 children, a girl and a boy.

As far as I know, Gautami left her career when she had her first child in 2006 and then returned to act in Kyunki (Ekta's serial). She and Ram had their second child in 2009. I don't think Gautami won any award (sexiest chick in town) in Sansui Television Awards in 2007.

SuganthiS thumbnail
18th Anniversary Thumbnail Visit Streak 30 Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 15 years ago
#3
Yes, Ram got married to Gautami in 2003 and they have a daughter and a son.
Gautami acted in Ekta's serial, Kyunki, last year.
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Posted: 15 years ago
#4
Ok guys...the post is nw Edited..thnxx 4 d info
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Posted: 15 years ago
#5
Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaint.
the pixs are toooo yummy
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Posted: 15 years ago
#6
God, I miss him as Jai Walia.
He was outstanding!
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Posted: 15 years ago
#7
hmmm....u can Watch him as Keshu Sanghvi now... ;)
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#8


'Method acting is about feeling the emotion'
The moment Ram Kapoor opted out of playing 'Rahul' in Sony Entertainment Television's daily soap Ghar Ek Mandir, it marked the beginning of viewers' disinterest in the series. The sudden change was met with nonplused reaction with people wondering why he left when the series was doing extremely well. Ditto among numerous review writers.

So tuned was the audience to the Rahul-Aanchal (played by Gautami Shroff) pairing that when Ashish Kapoor replaced Ram it failed to click with viewers. But it isn't just Ghar Ek Mandir that he has stepped out of. He is no more to be seen on Nyay and Kavita on Doordarshan Metro.

Indiantelevision.com's correspondent Harsha Khot met actor Ram Kapoor to know more about the sudden disappearing act from the television scenario and what he was currently doing:

Excerpts:

When and how did you get a break in television?
After graduating from acting school, I kept meeting people but the offers I was getting were pretty sideline work. Not that I was looking for only main leads but the roles were uninspiring so I kept saying no. Then in television I got a very good break, thanks to Mr Sudhir Mishra. He first called me to see him for a film. But that film did not work out. So two months later when we met he said there's a TV serial that he was going to direct and asked me if I would be interested in it. The serial was Nyay produced by Nimbus production house. The serial took time to pick up but once it got on air… six months later my phone started ringing nonstop for television.

No sooner had you become a name to reckon with in series like Nyay, Ghar Ek Mandir (GEM)and more recently in Kavita, that you suddenly disappeared altogether from television…
After Nyay for a while I did not take up any work. Then Ghar Ek Mandir came about, the screenplay was excellent, production house was Balaji. That got very popular and got me a lot of television work. Plus at one point I was doing four serials at one time.

I never wanted to do that much, but it all just kind of fell into my lap. It was kind of hard to say no to work. Sanghursh, Kavita, Nyay, and Ghar Ek Mandir. At that point I decided I didn't wanted so much.

So I left two serials. One was Kavita and the second was Sanghursh.
In Sanghursh my role was such that I go away after 13 episodes for about 8 episodes and then make a comeback. So I took a decision that I would not come back and my producers were okay with that.

Then this big project came along, I am not at liberty to talk about it but it is a project that an actor like myself has been waiting for. Not that it's a lead role or anything but it is a fantastic project. And that required a lot of preparation, lot of training, and they wanted exclusivity. Which is justified. So at that point I had to also take a decision to opt out of Ghar Ek Mandir, though I did not want to do that because I was very close to the show for many reasons. It did very well for me careerwise. My fans loved it. Secondly the whole unit was like a family. It was brilliant. In fact I was told to leave it (GEM) by December-end but I still continued through the whole of January, February and half of March because it took me two more months to adjust to the fact that I had to leave it.

Since then I haven't taken on any television work and have been doing pretty much only this project.

Why is the project taking so much time?
It is a very big project. There are a lot of big names involved because of that coordinating becomes a big problem. So there are a lot of delays happening. It could take at least a year more.

How has your experience been with the television industry?
I have no reasons to complain since I've been very lucky. I've struggled so to speak in the beginning since I had to meet a lot of people when I wasn't getting work for six months, but then I got my break so I don't think I've anything negative to speak about the industry. Yes it is true in the Indian television industry there is a lot of unprofessionalism. It is not very organised like the corporate world. If you are an actor who has chosen to be a part of this industry then you have to look always at the good and not the bad. If you focus on the bad then what's the point. There is bad in every industry if you focus on the good then you're okay.

You left Ghar Ek Mandir quite abruptly I believe it hasn't been taken well by audience and even the production house?
I don't have anybody else to blame. As an actor definitely you have to be true to your audience, they are everything after all. But in terms of career you are always looking for breaks and when it finally comes you have to take the plunge. I am not a star who has things in control. I can't say okay I'll do this one year later and they'll wait for me. So there I was faced with a choice. Either I continue with my work because I know that's what my audience wants and I do that at the risk of letting go something like this or since I finally got the opportunity that I was looking for definitely I have to go for it.

In GEM since most of you all, even Sangamitra and two or three others, left the serial as the same time, couldn't the show have been concluded before a big chunk of the team left?
We did talk about it. When I met Ekta (Kapoor, Balaji Telefilms creative director) and Shobhaji (Shobha Kapoor, Balaji promoter) they heard me out completely. They realised it was going to be a problem for the show, but they did understand that from an actor's point of view, he has to do this. When they spoke to the channel (Sony Entertainment Television), they put a lot of pressure because the channel was getting a lot of feedback from the audience. The Rahul-Anchal track was working very well so they didn't want anything to happen there. So at that point we - me and my CO-actors - met the scriptwriter, the Balaji team and the channel and suggested that the show be concluded. We offered to give extra dates around the show while an appropriate ending was worked out.

But at that point the show was doing very well and the channel did not want to end it.

Additionally, at the time I left, nobody knew that the other people would also leave. Though I was the first to leave, there were no talks at the time of any other people leaving.

It said that you left "unprofessionally".
Who is saying it?

The viewer definitely and even the production house?
I told Balaji Telefilms in January that I would have to leave pretty soon. This you can check back with my costars who were shooting with me. Everybody was informed about my leaving in the month of January.

In February I gave them over 30 days and 15 days in March. And luckily for me all the CO-actors the entire cast gave extra time as and when needed.

They had over a month's writing and shooting but instead of planning out a proper exist as they just continued as usual. Because at one end the channel was trying to extend my stay while the production house had hopes that I might stay on, so those 45 days were kind of wasted in terms of making a very crisp ending. So on my part I had informed them and had given them full month and a half. It was not like I suddenly said I am leaving next week.


'Method acting is seen in a bad light because a lot of people don't see the need for it. It's too real so a lot of people feel why go through all this when you can act it out. The whole concept of method acting is through your senses … to feel everything - if your are not feeling it then don't do it.'

Coming back to acting … What brought you to it?
I've always been into movies. My family has exposed me to movies - not only Hollywood and Hindi films - but movies from all over the world from a very young age.

By chance I went to a school (Sherwood, Naini Tal) that has a very good acting tradition.

A very famous person called Amir Raza Hussain used to come from Delhi to direct our Founder's Day plays. I was in ninth standard when he has asked me to audition. Before that I hadn't done acting at all. I got selected as the second lead in the play called Charlie's Aunt and then we did three months of rehearsals and five performances. Other schools came to watch. I think throughout that rehearsal process and the actual performances I realised that acting is something I definitely want to do. After that I went to Delhi and did further theatre …a lot of English plays.

When I realised I seriously want to pursue acting as a career. I decided to first go abroad and study acting. So I went to America and did method acting from Stanislovsky School of Method Acting because all my inspiration in terms of actors have been 'method actors'. All the people who get to me have all been method actors right from Marlon Brandon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino… anybody. So when I decided that I really want to pursue this.

I failed to get in at the first attempt so I worked in America for a year and a half. I finally managed admission and did the two year course, graduated and came back and got into the acting circuit. '

What are the things that you look for in a script?
I follow a certain thing. I am the kind of actor who will never limit himself to a certain kind of role, whether it is positive or negative. So what I do when the script comes to me is to read it completely and see whether I like the entire script. Is it something that makes sense to me? At that time I don't read it from the role's point of view at all. If I find it interesting then maybe after half an hour or so I read it again this time from the roles point of view that they want me to play. That's when I ponder over - do I like this character. How does he fit into the whole script, what are his good points, is he somebody who makes sense to me? Do I want to play this character? But the minute the script is read if I don't like it, even if the role is good then I don't normally take it.

Then I look into who is producing it, will they manage it. What is the production quality like?

You've acted in four serials so far. Of these, how many scripts have came to you beforehand?
In the beginning you don't get that chance because then you are looking for work and anybody who gives you work you are just not in the position to say, let me take a look at the script. But I was lucky enough in the sense that my first project (Nyay) was with Sudhir Mishra and Nimbus productions who knew exactly what they wanted to do with the show and what my character was all about.

Then, for six months I kept saying no to work I didn't take up any work till Ghar Ek Mandir came about. Good production house. When Ekta called me and spoke to me about the role she had a complete script and screenplay ready because it's a remake of a serial in the South Kudumbam, which was a hit, so they had adapted that completely to suit the Hindi audience. Every character was etched out very well, and again I knew exactly where the whole thing was going and where I fit in. So that was good.

After Ghar Ek Mandir, because it became so popular, my phone was ringing nonstop I said no to lot of scripts. Then Sangarsh came. Girish Mallik (director) called up and explained the role. Now there I didn't even know how the script and the story progressed but my role was a small and very tight one and it was a grey area. You don't know whether this guy is positive or negative. In that instance, without knowing the script I took up the role.

So overall I was just lucky.

What is you approach in terms of sketching out the character or in getting under the skin of it to bring it to life?
What is the history of this character? How has he come to this point? I go into the history of the character. Why is he the person that he is other than that?

A lot of actors, what they do is try and get into the character. I do the opposite. I try and make the character into myself. Everybody has all parts in them everybody has good, everybody had bad, everybody has mischief. All aspects of personality are there in every human being. When you read a character - whether a negative or positive - you find those emotions within yourself and make him as close to yourself. In my experience this comes out as very real. It doesn't come out as acting because you are being yourself as that person. So that is my approach. Because I studied method acting.

The Stanislovsky method is a very detailed approach to acting and there are specific things that you do… well I can't really get into that.

No please… there are conflicting views about the method acting approach so could you tell us more about it?
Method acting is seen in a bad light because a lot of people don't see the need for it. It's too real so a lot of people feel why go through all this when you can act it out. The whole concept of method acting is through your senses … to feel everything - if your are not feeling it then don't do it. A lot of training goes into that. Method acting is only big in America. For instance in Europe in places like RADA (Royal Caf of Dramatic Arts) where they do Shakespeare plays, there they don't really do method, their approach is very different, it is external. Despite that approach they are brilliant. There they say what is the point in method acting, which in a way is right.

In the acting school that I went to the success ratio of graduation in method acting is very low. Less than 50 per cent. In my batch alone when we started there were 28 of us but in the end only 12 of us finally graduated. Some dropped out in the first year.

I will tell you in one paragraph what method acting is. Basically they believe that our five senses store memory and those memories store emotion. For instance everyone must have experienced this while on a holiday somewhere and they must have smelled something that reminds them about their childhood with their grandparents, or they tasted food that suddenly reminded them of something their grandmother used to cook. So this is just a basic example on how all the five senses store memory, and those memories bring up the emotion that particular memory is related/connected to whether it is a happy memory or sad memory.

Sense memory or method which uses sense memory is just training yourself more and more to be able to use yourself to bring up memories, to bring up emotion to make that real. So you are actually feeling the emotion. That is what method acting all about, but the problem is that people get too into it, which is why method acting gets a bad name. I like to believe in the concept of method acting. Every actor uses some method or the other to prepare so that makes him or her a method actor anyway, whether you are using sense memory whether you are going at the back of the stage and screaming out you are using a method anyway. I like to believe that is method acting. But yes there are a lot of mixed reviews on the method acting.

You said that you often catch up with Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino… through their movies. What about them do you like?

They are the epitome of method acting. Every time I watch them I learn from them. All the biggest names of method acting, they feel whatever they are doing so well that there's not a single moment when they are laughing or crying or whatever they are doing… they are actually feeling that. They are in it 100 per cent. If it is shown that somebody is dying in front of them and they are acting that they are actually feeling it. That's the height of method.

Basically acting is playing pretend. When we were small kids we would play chor-police. To be able to put yourself into this different world and to be able to play this person and be able to feel the person completely is something that has always attracted me. The people who do this the best, I can just watch them forever. Each time I learn something.


'You need to be competent, to be on time, to have a strong work ethic. If you have all these then its fine, you'll get more work as opposed to the kind of actor who producers don't want. What they want are people who are fast.'

Are you ever spontaneous or do you follow method acting only?
No matter how much you train, acting is basically about spontaneity, about instincts. It's like painting. When you train an artist it is also very spontaneous and very instinctive no matter how much you learn. So it is a balance of both. You have to follow your gut feel, and your instincts.

Secondly, in my personal experience from acting in television in India (I haven't done any television abroad), if you do a lot of method you are asking for trouble. Because there are a lot of things that go into method, that go into it's research. A lot of preparation is required. But you've got to keep all that at the back of your head and forget it and then rely on yourself more to perform.

You need to be competent, to be on time, to have a strong work ethic. If you have all these then its fine, you'll get more work as opposed to the kind of actor who producers don't want. What they want are people who are fast.

What thoughts ran through your mind while acting during the initial stages? Are they any different now?

Well what went through my mind at that stage was the hope I don't mess up. I don't miss a line. Now with experience, the nervousness will still be there - be it on stage or camera - but it is in trying more and more to get into the character. To be as much like the person that you play as opposed to the person you are yourself. Definitely the nervousness is always going to be there. It will remain even 15 years from now. But it is much more about the role you are playing, the character you are playing, and the kind of dialogues, it is more about these now.

What brings out the best in you?
Before facing the camera I like to be prepared as far as my lines go. Have I understood the relationship that I'm having with the people in the scene completely. Once that homework is done, you forget about the script and everybody trusts one another. The actors trust one another, the director trusts the actor.

But while performing you let loose. Yes, you are following the script but suddenly you are going away from the script but it's still working. That definitely brings out the best in me.

Do you stick to the script or try to go beyond it?
I think what I personally try and achieve is after I've understood the script and my character well and how he fits within the framework of the script, you can trust yourself to go wherever.

And if that is not something the director wants he will cut it. Which is fine but at least it gives the director the opportunity to say cut or he just might say it is good. A lot of actors just stick to the script. I don't like doing that. I like to learn everything and then I leave it aside.

What qualities do you look for in a director?
A director who knows exactly what he wants from the project and he knows exactly what he wants from the actor. And after that a director who is willing to trust his actor. There is a term which I am sure everybody has heard which is called "actor's director". Now this term is rather freely used. But an actor's director is somebody who is willing to trust his actor. The director always has the visual in his mind. At the same time he is willing to see what the actor has to offer. That is trusting the actor.

What inspires you?
Acting and movies and plays is my world besides anything creative. Music definitely inspires me. The only kind of music that I don't like is heavy metal. I derive my inspiration from the people I admire, be it an actor or a musician. Anybody who I feel is 100 per cent into what they are doing. People who are clued to whatever they do, they are honest to their profession and they are willing to do anything and everything for that. That inspires me.


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#9

Ram Kapoor endorses Eco-friendly Ganpati
30 August 2009 | 3:08am

Ram Kapoor recently attended a Ganpati Mandap where the idol was made of eco-friendly materials which even when submerged in water does not give way for pollution.
After being there to give moral support for his surrogate 'sister' Rakhi Sawant during her swayamvar, Ram Kapoor has now taken up another cause- that of environmental friendliness. Ram Kapoor sounded like Obama during his rally days as the key word of his short address to media was 'change'.

Ram said, "Change is always welcome. And even God will only wish that change happens and the society and people grow." He further added, "Change is good, but, change for the better is even better."

He also went on to talk about the eco-friendly Ganpati that they have placed in their shoot spot.

Ram also spoke about the problems that arise between parents and children due to the generation gap. He said, "Parents nowadays face many problems because their children find it hard to understand them, their difficulties and problems."

Inevitably he went on talk about Basera, his new show on NDTV Imagine that deals with the issue of indifferent off springs. Ram said, "We have seen a lot of saas-bahu shows. So now its time to watch Basera, which deals with problems faced by mothers and fathers."

Basera is aired at 9:30 pm all through weekdays on NDTV Imagine.
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#10

Ram Kapoor to host 'Rakhi Ka Swayamvar'
30 May 2009 | 3:41am

New Delhi, May 29 Television star Ram Kapoor, famous for his portrayal of Jai Walia in TV serial 'Kasamh Se', is now set to host controversy queen Rakhi Sawant's wedding on reality show 'Rakhi Ka Swayamvar'.

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Television star Ram Kapoor, famous for his portrayal of Jai Walia in TV serial 'Kasamh Se', is now set to host controversy queen Rakhi Sawant's wedding on reality show 'Rakhi Ka Swayamvar'.

In the show, to be aired on NDTV Imagine, the item girl-cum-actress will choose a groom for herself with the help of the viewers.

Apart from being the show's host, Ram, who was last seen as a contestant on dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3', will play Rakhi's friend and guide and says he is extremely excited about his new role.

'I have never been more excited about being a part of a show in my entire career as I am about being part of Rakhi's 'swayamvar'. I've known Rakhi for many years and we are friends, so I have a fair idea of the kind of guy she is looking for. I am sure I will be able to help her find Mr. Right and I'm glad that I am going to be a part of this beautiful journey,' Ram said in a press release.

'Rakhi Ka Swayamvar' generated a roaring response when entries for prospective grooms opened. More than 15,000 people have sent their profiles to marry Rakhi, said the statement.

The show is expected to hit the small screen towards the end of June.

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