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Allergic to comedy, prone to satire
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Just when things didn't look rosy for Shekhar Suman on big screen, he took to television and created history. And now he plans to produce a biographical film, as he tells ANJALI DHAL SAMANTA
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Shekar Suman:'I don't mimic anyone; you can call it impersonation...'
HE DOESN'T need placards to remind the audience to laugh. Or cue cards to make the "hot seat" turn really warm as he fires questions with a smile. In short, the Indian Jay Leno has struck the right cords. But this versatile actor of Bollywood has a problem: he is allergic to the word "comedian".
For quite some time now Shekhar Suman may have captured the attention of a loyal audience by his wit and art to imitate but mention the word comedian or mimicry to him and the man gets visibly frustrated. "There is a difference in what I do. What I am doing is not `hasya' or comedy but `vyangya', which is satire. There is an element of truth in satire. I am not just making up stuff when I am sitting and interviewing someone but I have facts. And I don't mimic anyone; you can call it impersonation. I have been trying to explain this for many years now. I don't know why people just don't understand," says an irritated Shekhar.
And with an air of seriousness he adds, "For me, this is a very serious crusade. It is like a social responsibility. We should not trivialise it just because I am impersonating someone. There is entertainment in my shows but I am not just talking though my hat. I am talking about facts that people need to know. And for this, often I have to deal with a lot of flak".
For someone who landed a role opposite the gorgeous Rekha even before he had unpacked his suitcase, life in tinsel town has been a roller coaster - with plenty of ups and downs. Born to be an actor - as Shekhar says - his big break "Utsav" with Rekha way back in 1984 was followed by a number of "regrettable and forgettable" films. And just as life was looking really down, along came opportunities on the small screen and suddenly Shekhar was back in the limelight.
"I just decided to take a detour into television and it was like a boon! I felt God had shown me the way. It saved my existence and I was able to survive. And though I am not really an anchor - in fact that has happened by default - I have really enjoyed it. It brought the real Shekhar to the forefront," admits Shekhar.
And just as he was making the switch to the small screen, personal tragedy struck. Calling them the toughest moments in his life, Shekhar recalls, "My son was terminally ill. Every day used to be a sad story. I could feel that I was losing him. It was also the time that I was doing the serial `Dekh Bhai Dekh' where my job was to make everyone laugh. It was so difficult. I would be feeling so low and I had to make people laugh. But I would have to go on the set and forget everything."
The incident left a deep impression on Shekhar's life. "That's when I realised what it means to be an actor. What you see a person do on the screen is not what the person may actually be. What comes out on the screen is professional not personal," he adds. And finally now, Shekhar has decided to deal with the tragedy on another level: The silver screen. Under his banner, "Daffodils and Dreams", Shekhar would be producing a film that will be dealing with the relationship between a father and son. "It is almost biographical and it brings out the tragedy that we faced," admits the seasoned actor.
Photo: S. Arneja
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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