Banwari Taneja-an old article

Making the most of a hobby
Banwari Taneja, the grand old man of Delhi theatre. THE GRAND old man of Delhi theatre'' is how the graduates of National School of Drama in New Delhi describe him. Yet Banwari Taneja -- who has lost count of the number of plays he has done with the NSD alumni -- still considers doing theatre or films only as a hobby. There have been numerous occasions when he could have converted this hobby into a profession; like when he was doing serious theatre with a group called "Dishantar'' in the 1970s or when he did a major role in the serial "Panchi'', or more recently when he played the role of "Dada Ji'' in Gulzar's "Macchis''. Whenever a serial is being made in the Capital, those who know Taneja make it a point to call him up and offer him a significant role. Last month, he got an offer from director Milind Gaur to play the role of a family head in a new serial, "Mrigtrishna: The Mirage'' which was shot in a farmhouse in the Capital. ''I agreed to do the serial because I liked the script. It was also a pleasant surprise to hear that 13 episodes have been fully written before going on the floor,'' says Taneja. And in between playing his part, he took out time to voice his concern over the decline of theatre as a commitment of the heart. "These days, theatre has become more institutionalised. In those days, however, we used to do theatre more as a passion.'' Recalling with nostalgia his role in "Macchis'', Taneja says it was a wonderful experience working with such a sensitive film-maker as Gulzar. "I knew him from my theatre days and he insisted that I play the role of grandfather to the hero in his film,'' he informs. "I have also done another film Thoda Sa Rumani Ho Jaye.'' More recently, Banwari has done a significant role in a film being produced by Raj Babbar 'Kaash Aap Hamare Hote' in which the Samajwadi Party MP's daughter, Juhi Babbar, will make her Bollywood debut. "I play the role of an estate manager in the film,'' he says. Though Banwari has acted with several generation of actors, he has never felt the urge to take to acting in a compulsive manner. "I do theatre and films because I find it very satisfying. I have never gone after any of these, rather they have come to me on their own.''

By K. Kannan

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