Govind Namdeo known for his villainous streak in films like “Bandit Queen” and “Oh My God!” among others will be next seen in Rajkummar Rao starrer “Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana” as the father of Kirti Kharbanda. Having acted in TV shows like “Byomkesh Bakshi” and “Aahat”, Namdeo says platform does not matter to him as long as the role allows him to show his calibre.
Excerpts:
On his days in National School of Drama
When I came from Sagar, I did know how things work in Delhi. No one allowed me to speak as I was loud and not articulate. In my acting classes, I sat at the very last seat and kept quiet as most of the classes were in English. I decided to give up the course when one day Alkazi Sahab, took me to his office and motivated me to learn in whichever language I wanted to. He even instructed teachers to teach in Hindi so that I could understood the lectures. I am indebted to him and after that I did my best and even stood first in class.
On his workshops for theatre students and new lot of students
I come to NSD every year for ten days so that I can give back whatever I have learned in the past forty years of my career. I am also planning to open an acting school in Bhopal. What has changed in students of today is their attention span and knowledge of the literature. I think they are not devoting enough time in reading the vast literature of India and instead prefer to Google about it. I believe that acting has much to do with observing things and the present generation does not have enough time to observe as they are busy with their phones and laptops.
On the long wait for the big role in “Bandit Queen” after working for years in NSD Repertory
Casting director Tigmanshu Dhulia called and after that I met Shekhar Kapur in Kamalistan and showed him my pictures of the plays. He told me that you are my villain in ‘Bandit Queen’ and that was instant. If he would have given me any other role I would have not done that. Repertory Company was the platform for me to educate myself. Even after doing the diploma, I was not feeling ready to go out and start acting. I was constantly asking myself that will I be able to give 100% if I am cast alongside Amitabh Bachchan or Vinod Khanna? The answer was no, so I kept practising at the repertory.
On appearing as villain in most of the films
There are three important roles in Hindi cinema that of the hero, heroine and the villain. I was not eligible for the first two so I became the villain. Also, here in Delhi, people had given me so much of respect and were expecting me to do some strong roles. I chose the villain’s role by choice as the supportive positive characters in Hindi films come as fillers and I did not want that. They are not meaty enough for an actor to show his calibre. Yes, you do not see villains so often these days as cinema is not based on formula these days and I am happy with this change. Now, that character actors are being given importance, it is better to reinvent and start becoming a good man (laughs).
On essaying the role of Morarji Desai in “Solar Eclipse”
It is a very thought-provoking film as India’s condition is related to what happened in Russia. When you are playing such a well known leader, you have to be extra careful in representation. I decoded him at three levels — as an intense leader in coping up with alarming situation, an affectionate person who admired Gandhiji and an authoritative administrator who did not fear to take actions. I believe the portrayal of the history will be accepted by the present generation as it captures political events around Gandhiji’s assassination which I think will be relevant today.
