"Karamchand made me a household name"
We all loved the carrot-munching Karamchand played by the inimitable Pankaj Kapur on Doordarshan, around 20 years ago. His eccentric detection skills and his unforgettable admonishment to his young female assistant- "Shut up Kitty"--made him accessible to all ages. Now the small gent with the piercing gaze returns to our telly, this time on Sony.
Karamchand had a strong brand identity that you had managed to shake off. How do you feel revisiting it?
For me, it's just a job, something with which one has to experiment.
Are you excited about the re-play?
There is a certain level of excitment but also a lot of apprehension about how it will be received by the audience. Two decades ago, there was only one channel, Doordarshan, today there is a plethora of them.
Will Karamchand retain all his peculiar characteristics?
Of course he will continue to be a carrot-chewing detective. There are no major changes except for the fact that like me he will be older by 20 years.
How are you taking the serial forward?
Ideally, as an actor I would have liked them to give some explanation about what had happened to the detective, where he had disappeared for 20 years and why he has made a comeback. But that hasn't been addressed in the serial. The channel (Sony) and the director thought it better to bring it on as a fresh series.
What are your memories of the serial?
Before Karamchand happened, I was into theatre and films. This was my first television job in terms of a series. I knew nothing about the medium. I had to concentrate hard on developing my part and play the character, yet all of it was spontaneous. I enjoyed playing the character but the plot and shooting situations were quite tedious.
This time did you feel any difference?
I don't feel much of a difference. I have grown by 20 years and there are times when I feel there are loopholes in the script, much more today as a professional, but then I felt the same even 20 years ago. Finally, I have left it to the director.
How keen were you to play the role when the director approached you?
I confess I don't believe in re-runs. Creatively it doesn't offer anything new to those involved in the making. But I have a long-standing relationship with the director (Pankaj Parashar). In a way he was instrumental in making me popular. As I told you I was a stage actor and at that point it was important for me to get mass recognition and Karamchand made me a household name. Also, I haven't revisited any of my characters in the past and this will be an interesting experiment.
But you are doing Naya Office Office, a kind of a sequel to Office Office?
When Naya Office Office came to me I looked at the other choices in the medium and found nothing to my interest. Obviously, I cannot be a part of saas-bahu sagas. Naya ... was the only serial that was socially safe, culturally decent and giving insights into the functioning of a common man and his problems, with a sense of humour. The viewer can digest the goings-on because it doesn't make him morose and at the same time delivers the message - 'Life's like that'.
Most actors complain of fatigue...
Definitely, fatigue has set in in a big way doing the same thing, but there are commitments that one has to fulfill.
What is your take on the comedies aired these days?
Well, each to his own. But I defintely expect a better sense of humour. However, the concept is skewed. Vulgarity takes top precedence. Humour, actually, lies in real-life situations.
Which of your films are you looking forward to, this year?
There is Blue Umbrella, where you know, I play a small shopkeeper, Dharm in which I am a pandit, Halla Bol where I am a theatre activist and Good Sharma where I am some kind of a landlord. I guess all these films will release this year.
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