T heatre personality and Bollywood actor-director Makrand Deshpande is making his presence felt in Malayalam films with director M.A. Nishad's No.66 Madurai Bus . The shooting of the film has been completed and Makrand says that it was an incredible experience for him. Makrand is known for his roles in Bollywood films such as Satya , Sarfarosh , Swades, and Makdee, among many others. He has also directed films like Hanan , Danav , and Shahrukh bola khoobsurat hai . He has been actively involved in theatre and has made a definite impact there, as a writer, actor and director. Apart from his oeuvre, his crowning glory makes him stand out from the crowd. In an exclusive interview, Makrand talks about acting in Malayalam, his life as an artiste, and also about his friendship with Shah Rukh Khan. Excerpts ...
What attracted you to No.66 Madurai Bus ?
It's the storyline and also my character in the film, Sanjayan. There is a childhood angle, which was wonderful as well. Moreover, Nishad is a good narrator and his description of the script made me accept it.
How was the experience of Malayalam filmdom?
The whole atmosphere was full of life and it was like a big family. Although there was the language barrier, the communication within the set was very good. I had a great time with wonderful artistes like Pasupathi, Padmapriya, Swetha Menon, and Mallika.
What gives you more excitement, the stage or the big screen?
As a medium, it is the live performance on stage and there is no question about it. I am aware about the rich theatre background that Kerala has and I would have loved to meet some of the artistes here but we had a really busy schedule. Of course, I love working in the movies, especially in different languages, as I can travel and it is a cultural experience as well.
You have done the TV series Circus with Shah Rukh Khan during his initial days as an actor. What are your memories about those days?
Whatever Shah Rukh did, he gave 100 per cent. He had great energy, ambition and most importantly, he was hard working. I don't know who had dreams of making it big in the industry then. He definitely had dreams.
What was the equation like when you did Swades with him, several years later?
We did Swades more than a decade after Circus . In fact, Ashuthosh Gowarikar, the director of Swades , was also part of Circus as an actor. Shah Rukh had become a superstar, Ashuthosh was the director of an Oscar nominated film and I had done a lot of theatre. There was great mutual respect for each other and the whole shoot was a memorable one for the three of us. Superstardom was out of the window and we had a splendid time together.
You are really choosy about films. Do you regret having said no to films like Lagaan ?
I have known Aamir Khan right from his Qayamat se Qayamat Tak days. Lagaan was his home production and he wanted me to play a role in it. I used to play cricket a lot and would have loved to do the role but I was opening a play then. Also, my own film had to start. They needed sixty days and I opted out of it.
I was also offered the character named Circuit in Munnabhai MBBS , when Shah Rukh Khan was pencilled in to do the lead. But I couldn't accept that role as well. I don't know if it was the right decision or wrong, but at that point of time I wanted to do my stuff.
Unlike, say in Hollywood, character artistes almost always play second fiddle to the heroes in Indian movies. How do you feel about it?
I feel that in our set-up we have a hero and a villain and the hero takes revenge by defeating the villain. The rest of the people are there just to support them. If all the credit for a hit should go to a superstar, then all his films should be hits, right? He won't need a script or the co-artistes, if he alone can do it on his own. This concept is redundant and doesn't make any sense.
Do you think that your hairstyle has worked to your advantage or has it put some kind of restriction at times on the nature of your characters?
In fact, many have told me that I won't be able to get certain kind of characters with this style. But I think if we can change certain attitudes and play the characters, it could be far more interesting. My whole aim is to make different appearances and of course, I will definitely cut it some day (smiles).
