TOI: Like Lead, char. actor paid well-Praneet

LIKE LEAD ACTORS,CHARACTER ACTORS TOO ARE PAID WELL

Praneet Bhat on different shades of grey on TV and the comparisons with Gufi Paintal

Navya Malini


Having deeply involved with theatre while simultaneously doing TV shows,actor Praneet Bhat did not even anticipate enjoying the telly limelight the moment he chanced upon the role of Shakuni in Mahabharat.While the actor tells candidly that he earned it all by getting into the skin of the character,the beard that Praneet grew was self explanatory as he pampers it with gentle caresses.In Ahmedabad for a promotional tour,Praneet talks about love for theatre,TVs reach and his idol Gufi Paintal in a chat.Excerpts:

Today,TV is almost taken over by character actors.Do characters actors get an handsome remuneration like the lead actors

Like every character is important for the plot in a play,each character has its own significance in a show.Monetary reward should not be a major issue,but satisfaction of doing justice to a role should be the priority for an actor.In TV today,there is not much differentiation between lead actors and character actors.And character actors too are well paid.At the same time,success of a show is all about team work.

You are playing a negative role of Shakuni.Was there pressure to create new benchmark since there were comparisons with Gufi Paintal who played Shakuni in BR Chopras Mahabharat

Initially,I was scared to play the role of Shakuni.We grew up watching BR Chopras Mahabharat.The epic was reinterpreted by many Indian poets and authors.But the essence remains the same.I am a big fan of Gufi Paintal and idolise him.I felt confident and comfortable after doing a workshop for more than a year.As part of my learning process,I learnt martial arts,the art of war,rode horses and I grew up beard.It took me one year to maintain the length of my beard.I didnt want to sport an artificial beard because natural beard lets you feel in sync with the character.

Do you think mythology is getting a good grip on Indian television today

Technology can take Indian mythology to childrens world.When a technically sound Harry Potter impresses a child in India,why cant a well executed and technically marvellous mythology content impress the Indian kids Our children are very smart.They are exposed to international content.So in the coming years,content should be made to cater to their tastes,which is going to be a challenge.

Does theatre background help an actor while doing television

People with theatre background stand an edge over others always when it comes to acting.Most of the TV actors are fooling themselves by thinking by just playing themselves onscreen as they refuse to get a reality check that they need to understand what acting is.They dont understand the nuances of a character and how to play a character all they do is stand in front of the camera,without understanding how to emote.Most of the times,what you see of an actor is what he or she in actual life is.Theatre is like playing test cricket you will become a class artist when you do theatre because it gives you ample time to play up your abilities.Whereas,doing a TV show is like playing an ODI match.