Critical note-Sudesh (Dev Shukla)

Critical note

You are making a comeback to TV with Sony's Amber Dhara.
Yes I am. I am playing an advocate named Dev Shukla who is pitted against his own wife and kids. He is introduced as the man who had left his wife and kids and now returns in their life only to prosecute his own daughters. It is a negative character, but I would call it a grey character rather than a black one or a villain.

So will you be focussing on negative roles now?
Today, if you just tune into a news channel or pick up a newspaper you read news like brother kills brother for property or in-laws setting a bride ablaze for money. And hardly anyone ever speaks up against such social stigma. My character is an ambitious, selfish and materialistic advocate. In an attempt to maintain his success he does things that are morally questionable. But he's never sinister. No grey character on screen today is pure evil or sinister. I don't mind playing more negative characters as long as the roles are compelling.

Will TV be your career priority now?
I am not a career-oriented person, had I been so I would have had a long filmography. Serials or programming on TV are like a newspaper. Fresh news sells, the stale ends up in the trash can. Likewise, serials with long dragging stories become obsolete very soon. Acting on TV today is a temporary career option.

Contemporary TV soaps and programming do not get critical acclaim. Your say on the same?
TV programming has deteriorated over the years. Real content as seen in classics like Buniyaad, Hum Log or Suraag no longer exists. Contemporary soaps and dramas are over the top and far from believable.

Yet you choose to be a part of all this.
I have to. I have no other choice. It offers me an opportunity to earn my bread and butter.

What according to you contributes to the sad state of TV programming?
It's the actors. They are like credit cards. Plastic actors fabricated to smile, cry or be angry. That's all they can do. They are mere products of acting schools. Their creative drive comes from the need to obtain a loan- free house in Lokhandwala, a flashy car and a decent bank balance.

What was your motive to take to the small screen?
I do a lot of things instinctively. I was approached with this role and I just tagged along. An added incentive was the visibility it will bring me. I have plans to foray into production and this stint on TV will definitely help.

So you are starting your own production house?
Yes, there are plans to start my own production company and make films, television serials and even some theatre productions.

Have you thought of a name for your banner?
No, not yet.

What was your inspiration for a move towards production?
I want to breed new talent for our industry. I want the industry to breathe a new life of fresh air. Who knows? I might just end up nursing a few dozen Amitabh Bachchan's or Hrithik Roshans.

http://www.screenindia.com/news/Critical-note/283089/