He has made us laugh and cry in many movies but veteran actor Manoj Joshi says his best is yet to come. The light-hearted person feels he does intense character roles to perfection while comedy characters come naturally to him. Deebashree Mohanty caught up with this seasoned actor at Karjat in Mumbai. A report
At 40 plus, veteran theatre, TV and film actor Manoj Joshi is very agile, very to-the-point and very much at ease while addressing a Press conference. He has been on the sets of Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka (a serial on Colors) at Karjat in Mumbai from 3 pm and by the time he comes up on stage it is a little past 6 pm, but Joshi is as composed and as attentive as ever. We ask him if he never feels tiredIJ “No. Why should IIJ,” comes the reply.
“It’s my job bhai. I have to give my 100 percent from the moment I enter the sets. If we experienced actors do not show such dedication, how will the younger lot learnIJ We have to set an example for them to follow. I have learnt a lot from my seniors,” Joshi, who plays Chanakya in this show to be aired at 9 pm on Colors starting from tomorrow, says. He has been the channel’s first and last choice to play the role and the reason is obvious. “I feel I have been born to play Chanakya. This is the third time that I am going to play this strong historical character and I feel proud to be given that honour,” the actor whose play Chanakya was a runaway hit, tells you.
Although he has been in this industry for more than 30 odd years, Joshi feels he has a special inkling towards theatre. “It’s like my pavitra snanan. Everytime after I have wrapped up a film or a serial, I get into a play. It is necessary for every budding actor to experience the thrill and excitement of acting in a play in front of live audiences. The theatre teaches you much more than any acting school can,” he says, adding that in his 20 years as a theatre person, Joshi has made many life long friends. “Apart from the rich experience, I consider this platform the best for networking. You meet all sorts of people in the theatre and it’s always good to exchange pleasantries with them,” he says.
In between this interaction, Joshi is handed out papers for the next day’s shoot and he calmly glances through the sheets. “It is going to be a big show. You must watch it,” he says about his latest offering on the TV. You wonder how he manages to move from comedy to seriousness in a matter of seconds. “That’s easy. One just needs to get into the skin of the character. The rest is a cakewalk,” he says.
Apart from this historical show on TV, Joshi also has many films lined up for the upcoming few months but he doesn’t like to speak about his films before they are released in the multiplexes. “Call it my superstition or just my crazy idea but I do not talk about my upcoming films. I would much rather speak about something that I have done in the past,” he clarifies. Dolly Ki Doli, his latest release, received a luke warm response at the Box Office but Joshi’s character was as usual praised to high heavens.
“I am grateful that the audience accepts me in whatever I do. I have tried to experiment with various genres but people tell me that they like me best as the light hearted uncle-next-door. As long as the meaningful roles are coming, I am not complaining. Although, I would like to do an intense role just once,” Joshi who plays intense characters in his plays, tells you. He is quite a fun loving person but when it comes to work, Joshi becomes his serious self. “You cannot be having fun while working. It baffles me when actors say that a certain film was ‘fun to do’. That is not possible,” the established actor explains. Although he is worked across mediums and in various film industries, Joshi feels Marathi industry is coming up in a big big way.
“The directors have some interesting scripts and they are finding producers who are willing to fund their ventures. It’s only time that we will see good things coming out from this industry. Bollywood, meanwhile, is starting to become little stagnant. Emerging cinema directors and good story writers are the need of the hour in this industry. Popular filmmakers should also come out of their comfort zone and make movies which give out some social message too. Only then can we compare ourselves with Hollywood. Untill then lets not draw any comparisons please,” the actors says.