Tell us a bit about your character in Balika...?
(Pauses) Well, the character that I play is that of a psychotic man with a long beard, hair and moustache. He is somebody who has been on the run for a very long time. He does not even remember things about himself, but his entry will affect both Sekhar and the Singhs. I've never played such a character where I get to toy with a variety of emotions as he is different from all the other characters that you've seen on Balika till
date.
Is it a negative character as reported in the media?
(Smiles) He will create a major impact in the very first scene where the onlookers might believe that he is a terrorist. But then one will have to see where the script takes him to. All I can tell you is that he will have different shades to him. Thus he is not the regular negative or positive character you see on screen. Neither is it anywhere close to my characters in Bidaai, Junoon or Shobha Somnath Ki. The best thing is that I am getting the creative satisfaction that every actor needs.
How long does it take to dress up for this role?
(Giggles) It takes a lot of time as the creatives have given it a very authentic look. He has long hair, moustache and beard that take time to be fixed. Apart from that, he wears a black pathani. The next step is my make-up man putting mud on me. Since, my character is an untidy fellow I literally have to bathe in mud before I start doing my scenes. And soon after I have done with the scene, I head back home where I bathe for at least half an hour to get rid of the dirt. So overall the role is very demanding.
Is this the only project you're working on at the moment?
I am also working in a Bengali film with Rituparna Sengupta titled Vastav.
We haven't seen you in Bollywood films for a very long time now. When do you plan to make a comeback there?
I always wanted to be a big screen actor but then certain issues cropped up in my personal life in late 90s that made me lose my ambition and contacts with the film world. But then I bounced back with regional films but not Hindi cinema. I did get offers but they were all character roles. Moreover I did not want to play somebody's father when Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, who are elder than me, still play lead roles. I too expect the same. In fact, I started as a lead in the films just around the same time as they did.
But then you're playing character roles on TV?
TV works on an age group bracket where actors, who are in the age group of 20 to 25, get to play lead roles while the rest are just given character roles. But I wouldn't mind a show like CID or Adaalat where the actors above 40 get to play the leads.
