“Gunwali Dulhaniyaan Is A Hilarious Satire On Patriarchy In Our Society”- Elvis Chaturvedi

 Jyothi Venkatesh

You are making your debut with the film Gunwali Dulhaniyaan with screen name of Elvis Chaturvedi. What is your real name?

My real bane itself is Elvis Presley. I was christened Elvis by my father and uncle were both very crazy and devoted fans of the singer though my official name is Siddharth Chaturvedi. My dad has always motivated me to aim high in life.

Did you get into problems because Elvis is a very unusual name for an Indian?

Yes. You bet. Once I was hauled by a traffic cop and issued a challan for violation of traffic but when I told him my name was Elvis, he could not understand it at all and promptly asked me to fill up the challan myself.

What is the film Gunwali Dulhaniyaan all about??

Basically, the film deals with the problems arising out of the patriarchy in our society and is a hilarious satire. The director sets out to break the myth that everything should be in control of only men and women ought to be relegated to the sidelines as far as hierarchy is concerned, by stating through his story that even women can have equal rights, even if it means that she has no other alternative but to go to the extent of holding a gun in their hands.

What is your role in Gunwali Dulhaniyaan?

I play an innocent guy called Lakhan, who is golden hearted friend of the leading man Mayur. I accepted the role though it is not of the lead, because let’s face facts, beggars cannot be choosers and it is very tough for a guy to get good roles in films as an actor as nepotism plays a very vital role and hence I am very indebted to Shantanu Sir who had an implicit faith in me to trust the role to me in the film, which has been produced as well as directed by him. Lakhan is very loyal to his friend and can do anything for his sake.

How did you bag your break?

I met Shantanu through auditions. The fact is I had accompanied a female actor friend as her escort for the audition for Gunwali Dulhaniyaan. By a quirk of fate, while she was rejected for the role, I was selected because I too was asked to audition for my role and after I worked on the script for almost two months nonstop, Shantanu Sir broke the news that he was signing me for the role of Lakhan , who was the friend of the leading man, played by Mayur.

To what extent do you have any scope as an actor to perform in the film?

When I first read the entire script, I felt that it was very good and a prominent role though I am not playing the lead. As an actor, I have a lot of scope though it is my first film. Basically I hail from theatre in Delhi and when I was asked to join a workshop before I started shooting for the film, I was new and raw and actually went overboard in  my enthusiasm but Shantanu Sir explained the nuances of the scene and the beauty of my character and helped me be at ease and perform well. Mayur, Kanchan and I shot for Shantanu Sir in different places like Lucknow, Seetapur, Bareily, Teental and last but not the least Film City in Mumbai.

Who are your favorite actors and directors in Bollywood today?

My first and foremost favorite actor has always been Manoj Bajpayee, followed by Kay Kay Menon and Irrfan Khan. What I like about those actors is that they do not shy away from breaking stereo-types and transform into different characters in each and every film, whether it was Manoj Bajpayee in Shool, Satya or Gangs of Wasseypur or Kay Kay Menon in films like Shourya, in which he played a Brigadier who was in the film only for 15 minutes but left a big impact though Rahul Bose played the protagonist and Stoneman Murders, or Pansingh Tomar, Haasil and Charas. Among the directors, I like Dibakar Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sudhir Mishra

What next, after Gunwali Dulhaniyaan?

After Gunwali Dulhaniyaan is released on May 2, I am eagerly awaiting for Shantanu Sir to launch me in his next film because, like Mayur, I too have signed a three film contract for his banner.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Elvis Chaturvedi, Gunwali Dulhaniyaan, Interview