'Pehchaan Kaun' rage Navin Prabhakar to play an antagonist in upcoming project

We are almost two decades into the massive outburst of the comedy scene in India now where it is at its peak. But one would not forget that the propeller of that was none other than the comedy reality show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

And in that show, one comedian that also became the rage and continues to be best remembered for that is Navin Prabhakar. The man went on to become viral even before technology became massive owing to his iconic sketch, Pehchaan Kaun.

Prabhakar, as an artiste kept craving for more and hence while he loves working and doing comedy, he worked towards breaking free from the image of just a standup comedian and establishing himself as a versatile artiste. And after almost 15 years in the industry, having featured in TV shows and Hindi films, he is set to break another mould. Next, he will be seen as the antagonist – a first for him -- in the Marathi film, Aapdi Thapdi, which stars Shreyas Talpade and Mukta Barve.

Talking about it with ETimes Prabhakar said, “After participating in comedy shows and playing positive characters, I wondered what was new for me. Shreyas is a talented and versatile artiste. He was very warm and was surprised to see me portray the antagonist. He accepted that he could never visualise me in any genre other than comedy. In fact, he encouraged me to act. I enjoyed playing the negative character, which was a far cry from what I have done so far, including comedy and mimicry.”

Prabhakar even acted in a few episodes of Crime Patrol initially. "ab koi standup comic acting ke liye try karta hai toh usko seriously nahi lete hain. I had to break the image and hence, I became a part of a few episodes of Crime Patrol. That helped me bag a couple of films. Gradually, people noticed the actor in me and began to take me seriously. It’s not that I have quit TV. I have just stopped doing standup on the small screen, though I continue to do it at live shows and events. Comedian hoon ya actor, issi confusion mein kaafi time nikal gaya. However, I am happy with the way my career has shaped up. I have invested around 15 years in this journey and I am glad that finally, things have started to fall in place. I feel fortunate that I am being offered versatile characters and people are thinking of me for such roles despite the fact that I am not in a position to choose between projects.”

Ending on his hopes as an actor, “I just want to play diverse characters and people to accept me in those roles. But I won’t ever give up on standup or mimicry. Comedy is my bread and butter and acting is my passion.”