TAKING A BREAK IS IMPORTANT: APTE

Radhika says that an actor needs time to recharge their batteries

Actor Radhika Apte (left), who had close to five releases both in Bollywood and regional films in the past year, says she wants to take a break. “I’m taking it easy. It’s part of my job. Sometimes, you need to take a break to read or travel and get inspiration to recharge your batteries. It’s part of the process,” says Radhika, who was seen in films, such as, Parched, Phobia and the Tamil film Kabali. The actor, who made her Bollywood debut with the film Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005) says that over the years, the kind of roles being offered to her have changed. “Nowadays, a variety of characters are being offered to me. This, however (the kind of roles offered) keeps changing with the body of work that I do,” says Radhika, who will be seen alongside actor Akshay Kumar in Padman. Even after completing 12 years in the industry and facing the camera, Radhika says that she still gets tensed on the first day of her shoot. “Of course, I get nervous. And I’ll get nervous even at the age of 60. Portraying a new character, each time, is a difficult job and to perform well, one needs to question oneself,” says Radhika. Monika Rawal Kukreja

Actor Prem Chopra (above) carved out a niche of his own when he played the most suave villain on screen during the 70’s and 80’s. Nowadays, with lead actors trying to play negative roles, Chopra feels that it’s because everyone wants to improve in totality and showcase their flexibility. The 81-year-old says, “These young, talented actors are fascinated by negative characters because antagonists are difficult to portray. Plus they can prove their versatility.” Chopra, who played the villain in Bobby (1973), had just one dialogue in the film. He remembers, “Since I was already an established star, I didn’t need to prove my self. Whenever I came on screen, people knew that he’s here to create a problem.” Drawing a comparison between films made then and now, he says, “In our times, there were three major characters in a film — a hero, a heroine and a villain; and the film was woven around them. But now, when the hero is playing a villainous role, the writers need to explain why he played the bad guy.” When asked about the looks that villains flaunt, which is quite unlike the ‘bad guy’ image that audiences loved watching in the past, Chopra feels viewers have become open in their choices. “Earlier, there used to be no other medium of entertainment than cinema. Now we have TV, video, which keep the audiences occupied. So people have started accepting heroes playing a villain, if they perform well.” The actor agrees that iconic dialogues are a rarity now. “We need a bunch of good writers. People pick up scenes from Hollywood films and impose them in Hindi. So, the originality is lost.”