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The journey continues
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Anup Soni, a familiar face on the telly, has now moved on to the big screen
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ANUP SONI was an established actor on the small screen before he crossed over to the big screen. He was a familiar face in teleserials such as Shanti (his debut serial), Sea Hawks, Saaya.
This National School of Drama product seen in films such as Kagaar, Footpath, Gangaajal will shortly be visible in Sheen, a film by Ashok Pandit. In town to promote Sheen, Anup spoke about himself, television and movies.
Anup plays a militant Shaukat in the film. "I am in fact a childhood friend of Sheen (the heroine) and Tarun (the hero). We live in the same neighbourhood till one day I pick up the gun." He was not apprehensive of playing the negative character. "When I heard the story and saw the documentary ... And The World Remained Silent by Ashok Pandit, I wondered about my get up and look. But Pandit put all that to rest by saying it was not the regular militant look generally portrayed in films. I could wear jeans, T-shirt and leather jacket when it is cold. I could also wear the phiran (a Kashmiri garment worn in winter) because I was supposed to be a 24-25 year-old." Esentially Anup had to have the conviction to do the role. "I had to believe in what I did. I would say my performance is subtle and not loud." Sheen is more than a film for Anup. Sheen helped create more awareness about the Kashmir issue - rather the one of the Pandits. "I was aware of basic things - acts and pacts and article 371 but this raised the level of awareness."
For a person with loads of TV experience, Anup felt saturated after a point and wanted to move on. Films came his way. TV helped him grow as an actor when he came to Mumbai after NSD. "TV was happening in the 1990s and I just arrived in Mumbai with my friends borrowing some money from my parents. I knocked at doors and I knew no one remotely connected or related to the film industry. TV offers came by and it was a good learning experience - a good paid one." But in due course I had enough of it. "When I left people asked me why I was leaving it, I said this phase was over and I had spent a good many years," says Anup.
Anup does not want to do run-of-the-mill fare. "I want to earn dignity as an actor and get respect from the audience." He has been noticed in roles in Kaagar and Gangaajal.
His next project is another issue-based film - a Punjabi bi-lingual produced by Gurudas Maan and directed by Arjun Punj. "I am an absolute baddie in the film," says Anup, who is still negotiating two or three films but has not signed on the dotted line.
Anup is into theatre as well. He was active at school and college in Jaipur. At NSD he was exposed to George Bernard Shaw and Anton Chekhov besides theatre of other countries like Japan and Korea.
Anup is doing Kharashen (a play - a collage of four stories and 25 short stories of Gulzar) directed by Salim Arif (who is also directing Aap ki Sonya which is a sequel to the play Tumhari Amrita).
Atul Kulkarni and Yashpal Sharma are in the play, which has been staged in Mumbai and Delhi. "We will be performing in the UK and USA shortly," says the movie buff who grew up watching Hindi and Hollywood movies and world cinema (when he attended film festivals).
Acting is a passion with this lad who has entered the film industry where he always wanted to be. Does he attribute it to destiny? "I am on a journey, destiny has to help me. I have to plan my way," winds up Anup.
R.R.
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