‘I LOVE IT WHEN EVERYBODY IS LOOKING AT ME’
Paresh Rawal says the feeling he gets performing in front of a live audience is unparalleled
Be it Baburao from Hera Pheri (2000), Teja from Andaz Apna Apna (1994), or Manilal from Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Paresh Rawal has made every character unforgettable. Although his comical roles are most popular, his intense performances in films such as Sir (1993), Sardar (1994) and Tamanna (1999) stand out equally. And the actor is also a popular face in the Gujarati and Hindi theatre scenes.
He is especially known for his play Kishan vs Kanhaiya, staged in the Capital in 2018. Talking about the initial days of the play, Rawal says, “We started this play some time in 2010. At that time, only one Gujarati play was running. So we were kind of adapting it into Hindi and we wanted it to be a bit more hard-hitting, bitter and truthful than the real one. During rehearsals, we used to improvise a lot. This is the biggest advantage of doing plays. In plays, you keep improvising, adding, deleting etc.
All this helps keep the play fresh.”
The play was a hit on stage, and was later made into the movie OMG — Oh My God (2012). The film, too, turned out to be a huge hit. In fact, Rawal says once the film released the popularity of the play soared. “We’ve had more shows after the film was released. People from Radhe Maa’s ashram had seen the movie. Akshay’s (Kumar, actor) mom is very close to the Radha Soami Satsang. The baba had come and seen the show. After the film’s release, I got a call from the ashram asking me to do a show. I said the film has been released, he can watch it anytime. But he said that he would still prefer watching the play because it is live. There are many things that we couldn’t put it in the film. So, that speaks a lot.”
Every theatre actor says the best part about being on stage is the live audience. For Rawal, the stage is like a training ground. “Stage gives instant approval or rejection. There’s a connection formed with the audience,” he adds.
Remembering his initial days, Rawal says he always loved it when the crowd looked at him. “Theatre and the stage mesmerise me, and it’s not just for one play. I love it when everybody is looking at me. I get to play different characters with different lives, without actually facing the real-life consequences. That’s the biggest joy about being an actor,” he adds.
Theatre mesmerises me... I get to play different characters, without facing the real-life consequences. That’s the biggest joy of being an actor. PARESH RAWAL ACTOR