National Award winning Indian actor-screenwriter-director Saurabh Shukla, who is remembered for his roles in Satya, Nayak: The Real Hero, Barfi!, PK, Jolly LLB, Raid, was at the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) to deliver a lecture on acting. Ahead of his ‘Masterclass’, IBNS-TWF correspondent Souvik Ghosh catches up with Shukla…
Q. Tell us about your journey to films?
A. I come from a family of artists/artistes. My father was a Hindustani vocalist. My mother was the first ever lady tabla player in the world in a professional space. So art was never a restriction in my house. We were encouraged to try out any form of art. I tried a little bit of music and later painting. However, I lost interest in painting as I grew up. I was into sports and then proceeded to write. I used to watch films and wanted to make them in my childhood days. In college, I joined theatre initially with the idea that I could learn a large part of how films are made. But soon I realised theatre was a different medium and I completely fell in love with it. I did theatre in Delhi for 10 years. I did a film titled Bandit Queen, for which I was called to Mumbai by filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, and that’s how my journey began.
Q. Do you have any favourite role?A. For an actor, each and every role is a favourite because one tries to be the best on every occasion. People often talk about my roles in Satya, Jolly LLB, Barfi!, Raid but I just happen to be the actor of these well performed characters. People remember it because those films have worked. I have tried my level best even in the films which did not work.
Q. How do you prepare for your roles?
A. I will be honest and simple. I have actually taken more than 35 years to prepare for my characters. It was not a project-based preparation. One never does that. Me as an actor is the sum total of whatever I have gathered since I started in this field. So my latest character has a history of 35 years. Over a period of 35 years where I have seen and understood a lot of things in life, I have developed an instinct which helps me to approach a role. Of course life plays a big part in that.
It will be a mistake if one thinks to prepare on the basis of a particular script. You go on with preparations for life. An actor’s job is to reflect on the moments experienced in a lifetime. It’s his/her job to sensitively remember every incident of life.
Q. How do you react when people laud you for stealing the limelight in a field despite not being the protagonist?
A. I keep on hearing that I have stolen scenes in a film. Actors are not thieves. A sensibly good actor will always understand that he/she shines when everybody shines. If one tries to destroy a co-actor’s performance, it will boomerang. An actor will also drown if a boat sinks. Nobody does that. People keep making it a battleground for the actors but for us, it’s a big huge party where we non-frivolously have fun.
Q. Would you like to comment on the debate going on over the ‘violence’ and ‘misogyny’ shown in The Animal.
A. I cannot say anything about Animal because it’s a very fairly new film. I have been busy so I couldn’t watch the film. I don’t know about the debate.
Q. Do you judge what can be or cannot be shown in a film?
A. Being a student of cinema, I have watched all kinds of films over a period of time. It’s a huge debate on what kind of films are to be made or not. I think we all see through our moral compass. I can’t comment on a film which has already been certified by the CBFC. Who am I to comment? I can only comment on my choice. I have not created this society. I am not a policy maker either.
(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)