For all the success with films and TV, RAKESH BEDI won’t ever give up on the stage to which he returns this time as an actor. He tells Team Viva about the new play he is writing after the success of Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha and why he will challenge himself only in this artful medium
Many are unaware that comic actor Rakesh Bedi is, in fact, a serious playwright, having written and directed Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha, exploring the relationship matrix of two former lovers in their sunset years and is working on another one. Starring Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher, Mera... has travelled across the globe and received rave reviews. In between, he has busied himself penning ghazals. And just to let go and enjoy handing over the reins to somebody else, he has even agreed to act in a comedy.
Ingenious, funny and a brilliantly crafted masterpiece, Wrong Number juggles time and space to present the lives and love, passion and panic of three married couples. Rakesh Bedi portrays the character of a 55-year-old-man, Yashwant Singh, who owns a company with a turnover of Rs 100 crores and is married to a woman 18 years younger, essayed by Tanaaz Irani. He is shown as meeting his wife in a london bar where she was a cabaret dancer and where both fell hopelessly into each other’s arms. Now, the wife, jaded over years of marriage, is having an affair with an employee and takes advantage of her ever forgetful husband. The play revolves around various circumstances and how the characters make a big omelette of it all. “It is a confusion galore,” says Bedi.
How did you come to choose this particular scriptIJ
I have been wanting to do this play for the past 25-30 years. I knew about the content very well but somehow the combination, the timing, the correct cast and the characters never worked. Suddenly everything fell into the groove and I thought it was time to go ahead and do it. All the characters are quite peculiar and interesting.
Did you always have an inclination towards theatreIJ
I can proudly say that I am one of the few actors in Bollywood who has been constantly active in films, television and theatre. Concurrently, at any given point of time in my career, I have never left the three media. I have done everything in spite of everything.
You portrayed 24 characters in the play Massage. How do you manage the energy to enact multiple characters on stage single-handedly for 15 yearsIJ
It was written by Vijay Tendulkar, known more for serious and hard-hitting plays. This was in the comedy genre and I got it translated to Sindhi. Once I understood the meaning of the dialogues, I adapted the play in my own way. It took me nine months to prepare for the performance and that is how Massage came into being.
How is the space changing for comedy in the content-driven cinema in BollywoodIJ
Comedy will always have its space because at the end of the day, people crave entertainment and laughter. Though the shapes keep changing with time, the humour will never fade away.
The era has dawned where a lot of issue-based and real stories are being accepted by the audience. People love to know about other people and that’s the reason why biopics like Raazi are working. But in the same year, we saw the huge box office collections of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Humour will survive but it is not as prominent as it was in the earlier days when a comic character was a pre-requisite for the script.
Are you happy with the way your journey has shaped over the past 40 yearsIJ
I have no complaints and with all my flaws and strengths, my journey is all me. I went from my home to FTII in Pune in 1974. I studied there and went to Mumbai. I never took a single penny from my parents and carved an identity on my own. Surviving in this city is a struggle and I am thankful to my stars. One can crib about any situation but that’s not who I am. I don’t complain ever.
Out of the three media, which one do you preferIJ
I have no preference because each has its own pros and cons. Films like Chashme Badoor are collectors’ items for posterity. Cinema lives on forever and the beauty lies in it.
Television is like an instant coffee with immediate success and money. It has a mass reach and a lot of popularity. But it has limited shelf life. You are in a slot and people are enjoying you; tomorrow when you are replaced, the audience will enjoy someone else.
Theatre is an actor’s joy, it is an actor’s arena, an actor’s lab and the list goes on. The roles you get to do on stage, you can never expect them in films. The logistics and commercialisation of cinema do not allow it. It is a field of personal experimentation with highs and lows for an actor. All that he has not done in his life, he can do that on stage.
(The play Wrong Number will be performed on Sunday, May 20, at Kamani Auditorium)