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Lagaan
actor in Sri Lanka
This
warm and friendly actor made the St. Bridget's Convent Interactors
day when he agreed to make a special appearance at their screening
of Lagaan. He hadn't a clue about St. Bridget's or Interact, but
being in Colombo for the ICC Champions Trophy final between India
and Sri Lanka which coincidentally was on the same day as the Interact
Club screening of Lagaan on September 29, he delighted the audience
with his presence. The film was screened with the help of Ms. Reenat
Sandhu of the Indian High Commission. Head of Chancery of the Indian
High Commission Mr. T. S Sandhu was the chief guest and Wasantha
Obeysekera, the guest of honour. Here are extracts
from Rajesh Upadhyaya's interview with Bridgeteen Interactors Ulfath,
Oshadhini and Sulochana: Q: What
was your childhood like? A:
Fantastic. Super. Marvellous. I was born after 20 years of my parents'
marriage. My birthday was a huge celebration, with fireworks and
the presence of the Maharajas! I'm from Jaunpaur (Uttar Pradesh).
I'm the eldest and I have one brother. (He pauses
dramatically in mid-sentence, staring into space and reciting Sanskrit
stanzas. Then he returns to what he's saying!) Q: Did you
always want to be an actor? A:
No. I wanted to become a doctor, sportsman, circus-artiste (explains
his agility!), join the Army, Navy and so much more. I started acting
at the age of sweet 16 and my first play was a comedy called Do
Kalakar - about a poet and a painter. Theatre gives you a lot of
confidence and this is where I got my base for acting. After I won
best actor and director in college, I decided to go for it! From
the beginning I was attracted to strong characters. Q: How did
you get involved in Lagaan? A: Director
Ashutosh Govariker and producer Amir Khan chose me. Once you start
doing unusual characters (that's putting it mildly!) you're stuck
in it. After being told about the character, I agreed. Q: Interesting
facts about Lagaan? A:
It is set in 1883, during the British Raj. It was filmed from January
to July. We had to extend filming for 1 1/2 months to finish the
match! If the boss was ready at 5.00 a.m. we had to get up at 3.00
a.m. You had to eat before make-up, but I could never have anything
heavy so early in the day. So I was on light stuff like soup and
juice for six months. (What a great way to lose weight!) Some days we
got only two or three hours of sleep and sometimes we slept throughout
the day. Filming was
done in a desert, in the city of Bhuj (Gujarat Province). The village,
temple and pavilion was built and they used the palace of the Bhuj
Maharaja. Since it was done in sync sound style (not dubbing), filming
had to be stopped when planes flew overhead. 10,000 people from
Bhuj took part in this film. They were all given free food and clothes.
400 million Indian Rupees (800 million Sri Lankan Rupees) was spent
on this film. Q: What
are the other characters like in real life? A:
Nice people. (Excuuuse us, Captain Russell is actually nice?) Amir
Khan is humble, decent and a keen seeker for knowledge. (Now that's
more like it!) He belongs to the Mowlana Azad family that objected
to the partition of India. All of us worked very hard. Paul Blackthorn
(Captain Russell) took a teacher with him to England and learnt
Hindi there. All the British actors were county cricketers. Shah Rukh Khan
turned down the film but Amir volunteered to produce it and Ashutosh
re-wrote it 20 times to suit him! Q: Memorable
moments in your career? A: After
graduation, I was the only student chosen from my state for the
National School of Drama and Asian Theatre Institute in New Delhi.
The Director was Mr. Akazi, who was appointed by Nehru. We were
acting in the oldest fort of Delhi and I was the main character.
I had to say this line, "Don't take any advice from women for
politics" on stage. Ms. Indira Gandhi was seated in front,
so I turned and said the line to her! She didn't understand the
language, so I translated. I was enjoying her reaction so much that
I forgot the rest of my dialogue! I went into
the dressing room and was about to rip my beard off (the beard seems
to be his trademark!) when I felt a hand upon my shoulder. It was
Mr. Akazi. He said "Keep the beard on, Indira wants to meet
you!" I was too ashamed to meet her eyes, so I stared at her
feet. She said, "You were brilliant!" I wanted to know
whether she was being funny or sarcastic, so I raised my eyes to
hers. The affection she had in her eyes made her look like a mother.
When I shook her hand, it was like soft cotton. I was fascinated
and hung on to it for too long! Q: What
do you want to tell the Interactors out there? A: Keep
it up! First, be true to yourself. Discover and boost yourself and
then others. Be creative. If you're struck with a creative idea,
write it down. There should be a perfect balance between heart and
mind. If you feel a person is creative and can give a touch of novelty,
then you should welcome his/her ideas. All the jewels make a garland. When you learn
to do your best, you meet with the best. Nature relates everything.
Work is worship; it gives you name and fame. It was time for us to leave and movie star though he was, he even opened the car door for us! It was a wonderful experience meeting a spiritual, down-to-earth movie star, who's a true gentleman at heart. |
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