“I do not want to do small roles or just play the father of the hero or a typical comedian in Hindi films”

ASHOK SARAF tells JYOTHI VENKATESH

With the popular sit com Hum Paanch being re run every day by Zee TV  twice a day, you are back in the public eye all over the country after a long time!

Yes. I am back in public eye that too after a period of almost 23 years since the show was launched by Zee TV. It looks like yesterday Kapil Kapoor who directed the show told me that Ekta Kapoor wanted me to ac t in his show after he had suggested my name to her to play the role of the middle class guy Anand Mathur with five daughters

I do not think that Hum Paanch was your first ever Hindi serial as an actor!

It was not my debut serial as an actor in Hindi. I had earlier acted in three Hindi serials- Natkhat Narad with Asrani, Yeh Choti Badi Baatein with director Bhim Sain and Don’t Worry Ho Jaayega with Kapil Kapoor as the director

What attracted you to say yes to the offer by Ekta Kapoor to act in Hum Paanch in the first place?

Kapil was insistent that I act in the serial. It was a powerful scruiopt that Kapil had offered to me and I just could not say no. In any case, it was a weekly serial and hence I could squeeze in time in between my stint in Marathi films as I was extremely popular in Marathi films. Also it was for the first time that a private channel was offering me work since Natkhat Narad, Choti Choti Baatein and Don’t Worry Ho Jaayega were aired on Doordarshan.

For the uninitiated, tell us what then plot of Hum Paanch is?

Hum Paanch is the story of an ordinary yet amusing middle-class family, and revolves around Anand Mathur, played by me, my second wife - Bina Mathur, played by actress Shioma Anand and their five daughters, who are constantly plotting plans to turn his world upside down. Adding more chaos and confusion to his life is the photo frame of his late wife, played by the late Priya Tendulkar who is seen only in the photo frame in the drawing room who occasionally keeps on talking to me and nagging me too on certain decisions. Each episode is separate by itself.The show also had introduced several new actresses of that time like Vandana Pathak, Vidya Balan, Bhairavi Raichura, Amita Nangia  and Priyanka Mehra as my daughters.

 What do you have to say about Zee TV reviving the show Hum Paanch after a gap of 23 years?

I am extremely happy that the epic show is coming back at a time when everyone is locked down at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic and hence will make it a point to see and enjoy it with their family. In fact, it is also coming back due to public demand, which is like a cherry on the cake. I remember very clearly, we entertained the audience for nine long years and with every episode, the TRP's actually went soaring higher and higher. We used to make people laugh and enjoy, so I feel this is an apt time to come back and entertain everyone. For the amount of time they will watch the show,I am one hundred percent sure that  people will surely forget their miseries.

What has been your growth as an actor from Donhi Gharacha Pahune to Aandhali Koshimbir?

It has been a tremendous evolution for me as far as an actor is concerned, right from the time that I had made my debut 40 years ago with Gajanan Jahagirdar’s film Donhi Gharacha, Pahune, which was released way back in 1971, when I was just 25 years old.

In what way has your approach towards acting changed over the years?

I was very raw when I began my career as an actor. To add to my woes, I had to cross over to Cinema after making my presence felt in the theatre and it took me some time. Even today when I watch my old films , I feel like laughing at myself and realize that I had made some flaws which I wouldn’t do nowadays. You learn with trials and errors and even today I strive for perfection and do not claim that I am a perfect actor. It is nearly 50 years since I made my entry in films as an actor

What is the reason that though actors like Sachin Pilgaonkar, Ankush Choudhary and even Kranti Redkar have turned directors, you have yet to step into direction?

I have absolutely no time at all to take up direction. I just cannot dabble with both acting as well as direction at the same time. I also feel that direction is very time consuming and it requires a lot of temperamental adjustment to be a good director. I just cannot direct a film in which I am not acting, because first and foremost I am an actor. Even Sachin is into direction only when he is free from his acting assignments and always makes it a point to act in films which he directs.

You haven’t been seen in any Hindi film after Singham. Why?

That is because I do not want to take up any and every offer that I get as far as Hindi films are concerned. I turn down more offers in Hindi than what I agree to do, because I do not want to do small roles or just play the father of the hero or a typical comedian

Why did you agree to play the role of a constable in Singham?

I agreed to be part of Singham because though the role was not big, remember I had one scene in which I pour out my heart about the plight of the cops to Ajay Devgn in the film? People appreciate me for the dialogues even today. An actor does not always get a power packed small role like the one I played in Singham every time in his career.

Which are your 5 best films in Hindi as well as Marathi?

Koyla, Karan Arjun, Ghar Dwar, Damaad and Yes Boss are my five best films in Hindi as an actor. I’d say that my films Pandu Hawaldar, Ram Ram Gangaram, Susheela, Aandhali Koshimbir and Aapli Manus are my best Marathi films as an actor till date.

Is it true that you refused to do several stand up shows as a comedian when Television came in a big way to the country?

Yes. Since people believe that I have a strong sense of timing and a great flair for comedy, I received a lot of offers to play a standup comedian but steadfastly I kept on refusing all such offers because I felt I was not cut out to be a standup comedian because it does not require acting at all.

What do you have to say about Marathi films not running at the box office these days? Is that the reason that you have cut down on your film assignments?

Why just Marathi films? Even Hindi films are not running as well these days as they used to it. Prawaas was the last Marathi film in which you had played the leading role opposite Padmini Kolhapure.  The film ran for five weeks before it was removed from the theaters because the lockdown was imposed all over the country.

Your son Aniket Saraf did not choose acting as his career. Why?

Aniket Saraf is the only child of my wife Nivedita and me. He did not wish at all to take up acting as a career just because Nivedita and I are acting in films for the last several years. Aniket chose to be a Master Chef by profession in a hotel in Toronto and has no interest at all to make his career in the acting or direction, especially as culinary profession is his calling. Aniket has different interests and goals and Nivedita and I respect his wishes.

You have yet to direct a film or a TV serial though you had also turned a producer with the Marathi film Ek Daon Dhobi Pachhad!

I had produced Ek Dao Dhobi Pachhad in Marathi written by my actress wife Nivedita and directed by Satish Rajwade. Though today he is known as a maker of good comedies, Rajwade had directed a film like Ek Daon Dhobi Pachaad which belonged to the comedy genre for the first time in his career.

Which was the latest Marathi film of yours to release?

Prawaas directed b y Shashank Udapurkar was the last film in Marathi to be released though Altoon Paltoon directed by Sanjay Naware and Bhau Kadam as my co-actor was the latest film which was telecast on Zee Talkies without a theatrical release. I am quite busy these days with my popular play Vacuum Cleaner. I am happy with the way my career has progressed  I have witnessed several ups as well as several downs in my career and have to my credit as many as 187 films in Marathi and around 45 films in Hindi right from my first film in Hindi- Damaad with Amol Palekar till my last Singham with Ajay Devgn.  With Shah Rukh Khan I had acted in films like Yes Boss, Koyla etc and with Salman Khan, I had acted in Sangdil Sanam

Who are your favorite filmmakers in Marathi Cinema?

Sachin Pilgaonkar, Girish Ghanekar, Bipin Varti, Raj Dutta and Aditya Ingle who has directed my latest film Aandhali Koshimbir are my favorite filmmakers.

What according to you is missing as far as Marathi Cinema today is concerned?

The script is what is missing though the subjects are good. What is the big deal if films are made on different subjects but the scripts are missing and if at all there are scripts, they do not keep you engrossed or hold your attention when you watch a film?