Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Everything but a comic

Rajpal Yadav says "Main Meri Patni Aur Woh" has best performance so far

DIFFERENT ZONE Rajpal Yadav plays the lead in "Main, Meri Patni...Aur Woh" PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT

The natural flight of a creative person, they say, is not from pleasure to pleasure but from hope to hope. And hoping to establish himself as a serious actor after long being known as a comedian, Rajpal Yadav did the lead role in his mentor Ramgopal Varma's film Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon, directed by Chandan Arora two years ago. The film wasn't among the major hits at the box office, but Yadav's credibility as an actor, with less of a comic streak to fall on, found some takers in the film industry. (Though Yadav claims that Main Madhuri... is Zee Cinema's highest-ranking film these days).

Arora has again put his faith in Yadav and made Main, Meri Patni... Aur Woh, as a lead actor opposite Rituparna Sengupta, a well-known face in Bengali cinema. For Yadav this film was a learning experience. He minces no words saying that, be it his acting days at his alma mater, the National School of Drama, or the films he has done so far, the life that he has lead in this film is par excellence. "This film has brought out the best performer in me so far. If you have liked me in Main Madhuri... , then in Main... you will find me five times better," declares Yadav. The reason he states is the detailing "from hair to shoes" that has gone into transforming him into a restrained librarian in Lucknow University, Mithilesh Shukla that he plays in it.

"It is a story of my life before and after my wife (played by Sengupta) meets a like-minded man. How my character develops a complex, how some negative emotions take me over and how I handle is what the film is all about. You will identify with situations, characters and circumstances in the film," assures Yadav.

Comedy first love

Comedy still remains Yadav's first love though. "Comedy has given me recognition. I wouldn't have been accepted in comic roles had the audience not loved me in it. From Salman Khan to Shah Rukh Khan, every Khan is trying comedy and they are good at it too. But despite that the audiences prefer me for comedy.

There is no bigger achievement for me than this." "If I could help it, I would have eradicated poverty from India but since I can't do that, I can always make an effort to bring some smile on their faces.I will do at least 500 more comedy films if my fate allows. For a population of a billion, are 500 comic roles too much?" And if someone thought that he wanted to be the Charlie Chaplin of India, as some reports have it, .it is wrong.

"I respect him, admire him and am a fan of his. But I would not like to be Chaplin. There can't be another Chaplin.I would like to remain Rajpal Yadav only."

RANA SIDDIQUI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail