The king of offbeat roles Pawan Malhotra is back and how. As a relentless Pakistani Armyman in Children Of War, he has delivered his most evil punch on screen. Malhotra says he loves to take on difficult jobs and prove his mettle. Although theatre happened to him quite by accident, the stage mannerisms of this Nukkad guy still mark his acumen as an actor. DEEBASHREE MOHANTY speaks with Malhotra about his acting journey and upcoming projects
Not many actors like to be hated, but Pawan Malhotra says he would love a feedback on his negative portrayal of a Pakistani Armyman in Mrityunjay Devrat’s Children of War.
“I want people to hate my character in this film. They should hate Malik with a vengeance. Only then would I’ve done justice to the role. As an actor, that will be my highest acclaim. Not the pay package and not even any award can do justice,” Malhotra says. Known to be a man who speaks his heart, Malhotra says he has no fear, be it profession or colleagues.
“I wouldn’t be in this profession if I was scared to take a gamble. The film industry isn’t meant for people who can’t deal with box office failures and long periods of joblessness. This isn’t a job where you can walk in everyday, do some typing on your computer and head home, assured of a monthly salary,” Malhotra who had been out of the reckoning for a long time, tells you. He says it was painful to be out of work for a long period but that didn’t compel him to take up a project he couldn’t relate to. “Call me a madcap but I can’t sign a film that doesn’t excite me. I’m not meant for every script and I’m never going to forget that. I was this choosy when I was doing TV serials earlier and I’m not changing now,” he says. It was the strong script and a compelling role in COW that attracted Malhotra.
It was just something that was on his radar and he could sense it. “I’ve seen experienced directors go wrong with scripts and the film failing. When Devrat approached me with his script of Children Of War, I knew he had something potent. Even though he had never directed a feature film earlier, his confidence was telling. Also, this was a powerful role. Only a fool would refuse to take it up,” he says, stressing that the money criterion was secondary. “Both Bagh Bahadur and Salim langde Pe Mat Ro were diverse roles and both did not make me super rich. But people still remember those two films and appreciate my acting. That has got me more roles and more money. I prefer to do films that will be remembered,” Malhotra says.
Of course money is important, and Malhotra would want 100 crore people to watch Bagh Bahadur, but that isn’t his baseline. “If you are an actor it is crucial for you to be versatile and to doing a variety of roles. It’s our job to get into the skin of the characters we play. We get paid for that. It’s all bunkum to say ‘I got carried away by a particular role and lived in its skin for years’. Have you ever seen an actor fall off the stage while performingIJ” he queries.
Being a director’s actor gives him an edge in this competitive industry. Unlike other theatre artists, Malhotra has no problems admitting that he does what his director wants him to do. “There has to be a captain. Not everyone can be captain,” he says.
It’s this philosophy that keeps Malhotra away from marketing and promotional activities. “Someone told me that I don’t market myself well and don’t reach out to the media. But, I’m doing what I’m paid to do. let the media come to me if it feels I’m worthy of an interview. I’m also not very technologically sound and keep asking for help in decoding messages or opening my mail,” he says.
For a man who has worked with Gen Next stars, he is happy with the current crop of actors and their dedication. “Ranbir, Alia, Kangana, Katrina and Farhan are all so talented. They have proven that they only need a proper canvass and nothing can stop them,” he says.
And, Kangana is the biggest gainer. “I drink only when I’m out with friends but the day I saw Queen, I came out and headed straight to a pub. I wanted to celebrate. It was that wonderful,” he says.
However, Malhotra feels these young stars need good scripts and directors to take them places. “Even the great Amitabh Bachchan had to resort to ‘Hain! Hain!’ dialogues to get noticed. He was nowhere in the picture for the first few films he did. It was only a good script that got him the stardom. He is now unstoppable. I feel he is capable of pulling off a role even when he is 110 years old!,” Malhotra says.
As for the small screen industry, the iconic man who made the TV serial Nukkad a household name, feels there is still a lot of scope for improvement. “We did only 39 episodes of Nukkad, but people remember the serial and me in it. It would’ve been easy for me to wear a shervani and dupatta and move around in a saas bahu serial. I would have minted money. But that wouldn’t have taken me anywhere,” he says. With back-to-back Punjabi films (in the film 1984, he plays a character with grey shades and another is a biopic), he also has a role in Hrithik Roshan starrer Bang Bang.
“Cheers to diversity”, he says.