Tiku Talsania talks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about why comedy has almost disappeared from films, how Gujarati theatre is making waves & that his dream is to be part of every genre
We have not seen you on TV or films for a long time. Where have you beenIJ
I have been here only. In fact, people would d have seen me in Zindagi Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost in 2016 on like OK. So I have been on and off TV. I have also been busy doing theatre which I love and do Gujarati films.
You are not doing movies as well...
The reason is simple — there are no roles coming in as genre has changed. Films are doing better and better. But I am sure something will come up where I can step in.
Has comedy vanished from film or taken a different shape in filmsIJ
There was a time when films had a set story. The earlier films had a fixed slot; there was a cabaret, a hero, heroine, a villain. Today, things have totally changed. Stories have changed. New genres have come in. Films like Piku and Pink are giving a lot of imputes to actors. Hopefully, some day, I too would be doing a good movie.
Why is comedy still slapstickIJ
We go for instant laughter. The aim is to many the audience to make people laugh on the spot. There are no good comedy scripts that are coming up today. There is a drought of good stories in this genre and one will have to wait.
How is Gujarati theatre shapingIJ
The theatre scene has been there for 130 years. The work that is being done is brilliant. The stories that are coming out from this region are fantastic. One needs to watch a play to see how great it is. I was doing a play and a father walked up to me and said that the play had better be good since I am paying more than I would pay for an Amitabh Bachchan film. So, there is a lot of conscious effort to ensure that the work that is put out lives up to the expectations and deliver the goods and not put out sub-standard stuff. A lot of subjects are coming up that have good stories.
Why are these plays restricted to the regionIJ
If you see the play Kanjee Viruddha Kanjee, the play that I did, you will realise that the film Oh My God is based on it. It is not as if we are just restricted to Gujarat. Gujaratis are everywhere so we have been all over Europe, America, Australia and even Delhi with my theatre. The only glitch is that a person who speaks Hindi will not watch a Gujarati play due to language barrier. The quality of plays have improved. look at how well Code Mantra is doing in Gujarat. The play has 57 actors and based on the Army. I did a play — Ready Steady Go —that ran 120 shows. So we are doing very well.
Do you have a dream roleIJ
My dream is to be everywhere but unfortunate, this is not possible. On a more serious note, everyone is a dream role.
You are associated with comedy but you have done serious roles as well. What is closer to youIJ
Seriousness comes naturally to me. If you start crying, it is easy to make the other cry as well. But to make the other person laugh out loud is a big challenge. This is because you don’t know what zone he is coming from —maybe he has had a bad day at work — but to make him laugh when he is watching a movie or theatre is where the challenge is.
Tell us about your role in Sajan Re Phir Jhoot Mat Bolo.
I play Hussain’s father, who is extremely rich and wants his son to achieve new heights. Of course, there is a back and a front story. I don’t want to reveal too much about my character at present. But I am a happy-go-lucky father with a happy-go-lucky son.
Would you be doing more TV and films nowIJ
like I said, I want to be everywhere. I would love to die in my shoes — to work continuously is what I want to do — as long as God permits.