“I AM KEEN ACTING A MARATHI FILM AS MARATHI IS MY MOTHER TONGUE”

PRASHANT BALKRISHNA GHODKE tells JYOTHI VENKATESH

A versatile actor, who has worked in many TV series, commercial ad films as well as Hindi feature films in the lead roles for last 23 years, finally tall and handsome Maharashtrian actor Prashant Balkrishna Ghodke aka Prashant Ghodke, who is dabbling more into International event managements and concentrating less on acting till date, has been finalized to play a lead role in a as yet untitled short film which is going straight for the nomination for awards in various International film festivals of repute. It was way back in 1994 that Prashant had started his career with the theater , which alone he says groomed hi s career as an actor especially since he has not learnt the craft of acting anywhere else and acting in plays when Zee TV gave him an opportunity to act in the popular TV serial Campus.

Though Prashant Ghodke was introduced as a smart and suave villain in only the 13^th episode of the serial, his popularity ensured that he was given an extension and he was seen in altogether 141 episodes of the top ranking serial in terms of its popularity then. In the wake of his stint with the serial, Prashant was besieged with offers galore to act in TV serials as well as ad films including a serial for Sri Adhikari Brothers.

At a time when the chocolate hero was in demand, Prashant Ghodke who was busy with his various stints in theatre at Prithvi  as well as IPTA, was signed to play Raza Murad’s son with negative shades for the channel ESPN’s serial Caravan. Around the same time, Prashant was approached to act in a central role in the feature film Revti with Kashmeera Shah. “I played a 50 plus character of a businessman when I was only 34 at that time while Kiran Kumar sued to take undue advantage of the poor girl and I used to get her out of his clutches all the time. Shreyas Talpade was the leading man of the film,” quips Prashant Ghodke.

Prashant was lucky enough to get a role in Shah Rukh Khan’s film Main Hoon Na directed by Farah Khan , who he says was his childhood friend since he was also staying in the neighborhood of Juhu Tara Road where Farah Khan and her brother Sajid Khan also were staying. “Farha Khan, whom used to play the game of gottis with me on the road in Juhu Tara Road when we were kids, insisted that I play a small role of a henchman in her film with Suneil Shetty.Though I was playing the leading man in a small film called Miss India at that time, I took time out to play the role fog the henchman in Main Hoon Na for Farah Khan. Though I did not demand money to work in her film, Farah had sweetly asked her producer Shah Rukh Khan to pay me a cheque for working in her film though I could not spare her my dates for three to four days when she needed me to kidnap and strangle Sushmita Sen in the climax, with Sunil Shetty who played a role with negative shades.

Prashant has also acted in Mahesh Manjrekar’s film Nidaan and says that he was also cast by Mahesh Manjrekar in his film Vaastav with Sanjay Dutt. “Besides Nidaan and Vaastav, I have also acted in Mumbai Godfather form director Deepak Balraj Vij in which I played one of the four leading men. Prashant also remembers with nostalgia how he was cast as a friend fo Ajay Devgn by the director duo Abbas- Mustan in the film Chhalia with Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Johny Lever for producers Ashtavinayak but the film was shelved after the closure of Astha Vinayak who went into liquidation after they were embroiled in legal hassles.Destiny has played a vital role in scuttling my choices.

Lawrence D’Souza and Sudhakar Bokade had approached me for a role in their film but the film did  not materialize when Sudhakar Bokade started facing rough weather as far as his business was concerned. Producer Shawne Patel has cast me now in a negative role in a film of his which is yet to be launched. I think though my career has not taken off in a big way, it is slowly and steadily inching towards his goal and I am multi tasking in not only Bollywood but also Hollywood.”

Prashant Ghodke is now all set to act in a web series in English which has not yet been titled. The shooting will take place shortly at Atlanta. Though he says that he does not know the role that he is going to play in the web series, he knows that the director is looking at casting him in an Asian character in the series, which he is confident of playing perfectly to the T. “My pictures have already been sent to them and also shortlisted but my audition is yet to happen.”Prashant Ghodke is quite excited now about having bagged a prestigious short film, which is about a terrorist group which plans to launch a massive attack on Kashmir. Says Prashant Ghodke, “Their target is Delhi and I play the mastermind in the group whom is ultimately caught by the vigilant cops in India. The role has excited me a lot.”

Prashant Ghodke, who has also acted several music videos as well as a Bhojpuri film called Rihaee in a negative role while Dinesh Lal Nirahua had played the role of a DSP in it, acting in a Marathi film still continues to be an elusive dream, especially since he happens to be a Maharashtrian Brahmin and his mother tongue is Marathi and he has always yearned to be part of a film in Marathi. Says Prashant Ghodke, “I am ready to play any and every kind of role in a Marathi film, whether it is a character role or for that matter an out and out negative role.

Prashant Ghodke confesses that he just cannot say that acting is his hobby as of now. “My passion has always been organizing various events internationally. I am more of a creative person though. I am used to design as well as execute high profile events as well as travel a lot all over the world. I have been focusing more on Hollywood so far and even plan to settle down in United States of America if only things do not work out the way I expect them to in India.”