Mukul Dev, known for his comic timing and action avatar, is turning a new leaf in his career as he returns to television with 21 Sarfarosh:Saragadhi 1897 on Discovery Jeet. It is based on a real battle fought in September 1897 between Sikh soldiers of the Brtish Indian Army and Pashtun Orakzai tribesmen. A multi-faceted personality, Mukul has also penned the story of Hansal Mehta's Omerta , based on the life of Omar Saeed Sheikh
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Tell us about your character in The Battle of Saragadhi ...
The creative head at the channel did a deep research on the character of tribal Afghan leader named Gul Badshah. His gestures, way of walking, speech, manipulative ways were discussed minutely. Though I played an Afghan in Waar Chhod Na Yar , it was different from it as it was a funny role. I have observed Afghani people and their Urdu is not as chaste as it should be and that reflects in the way they speak. Their native language is Pashtun. The mental graph was already designed which helped me as an actor. Also, the stories narrated to me in childhood helped in understanding the psyche of the character.
Please elaborate...
The folklore actually shapes your imagination as a child and leaves an imprint in mind which in a way builds relatability. The stories of Battle of Saragadhi, Maharana Pratap and many such tales of valour were told to us for generating a feeling of love for the motherland. My father knows Urdu and Persian very well and that helped me in getting the right pronunciation. He helped me by replacing regular words with those which sound more authentic.
Two other films are being made on the same subject...
There is no copyright on historical films and subjects. Every person has a right to make films but the audience will examine which of these is more authentic. There are many films on Gandhi's life but most of us remember the one which was made by Richard Attenborough.
We are witnessing a huge influx of film actors and directors to series-based content on television
It is because there is a plethora of talent in the industry which is not getting chance in film industry. We only have a few good films and only some actors can work in it. Most of the actors do films with poor content because they do not have options. If an opportunity comes their way where they get the same cinematic feeling and creative satisfaction which you get while doing a Sanjay Leela Bhansali or an Imtiaz Ali film, they will go for it.
Tell us about your experience of working in South Indian films
Language does not matter to audience if content is good. It is the director’s belief which is translated on screen and roles are written according to his imagination. It does not matter what is the background of actors as long as they fit the role assigned to them. If a person comes from a different industry, he brings his own universal selling point. And, if he also speaks the language, it is a win-win situation for all.
Did you record your own dialogues?
Yes. Majority of my non-Hindi films have my own voice.
Was it difficult to get the accent?
I believe a good actor does not have an accent of his own. Yes, it was tough, but it was my job.
What brought you to acting?
My interest in acting was similar to any Delhi boy who watches cinema, grows his hairs and repeats the dialogue which he hears in theatre. I used to do mimicry of many actors in my childhood which remained with me till I went to becoming a pilot from Indira Gandhi Flying Academy in Rae Bareilly. I was jobless after becoming a pilot which brought me to modelling and that led to acting. I was fortunate that I got directors like Mahesh Bhatt and Tanuja Chandra who taught me on sets. I never did theatre for learning acting. Film sets were my acting school.
You seem to be a closet writer as well. Tell us about Omerta ...
There is a different sort of contentment in writing as you see your name as a creator and not just as a collaborator. Writing is very close to me though many people do not know me about this aspect. But it is not something I want to hide. I always push Hansal to tell people that I wrote the story as I too want some publicity (laughs). There are many stories which I have written but they are still with me. Omerta is the first one to come out. I initially wanted to direct it too but he told me that I can't give away seven eight months from my schedule as am primarily an actor. It was also a practical choice to make.
What drew you to this story?
I wrote the story around 2006-07. He is a real life character to which I came across through a book written by a journalist where he was mentioned as a terrorist. I found him too unusual for a terrorist and that excited me to write a story around him. It took me seven-eight months to write the story. In fact, Hansal took more time to write the screenplay.
