Rahul Singh the popular actor has made several appearances on both the big and small screen. Son of poet Prabha Thakur, the versatile artist has worked in movies like “Zubeida”, “Stanley ka Dabba”, “Delhi Belly”, and serials like “24”, besides also scripting the Sanjay Dutt starred “Kaante”. Incidentally, he also writes a couple of scenes for himself in movies.
He will soon be seen in Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s series “Zed Plus”, and in a film produced by John Abraham, “Satra Ko Shaadi Hai”. In the former he plays the title role of a commando and in the latter that of a corporate honcho. The actor will also be seen in “Tere Bin Laden 2”
In this interview, the actor speaks about scriptwriting, roles, acting and more.
Excerpts:
Has your mother’s poetry in any way influenced you as a writer? Are you considering scriptwriting again?
Yes, of course she did. First of all genetically. Secondly, she writes very inspiring poetry. She is among the finest poets we have, sunkar achcha lagta hai . Also, I enjoy scriptwriting. It is like a hobby. I had done a lot of street theatre in college for social awareness and because of the exposure we feel a need to bring certain messages or stories to light. That’s how I began to write.
Yes, I am writing the dialogues for two movies, both directed by Nila Madhab Panda, director of “I am Kalam”.
You have essayed many roles. played a plenty of roles. Which one role has made you grow as an actor?
Every role makes you grow. It teaches you something or the other. Some roles teach you what to do, whereas some roles teach you what not to do. I improvise a lot of dialogues and scenes with the director’s permission. Most of my dialogues are my improvisations.
Do you think the performance of supporting actors gets overshadowed by that of the lead actors?
If somebody is a weak actor, that is bad for the scene. A weak performer is never a choice for any particular task. If a performance gets overshadowed, then it wasn’t good enough. There is no place for mediocrity. Also, a lot depends on the editing.
On what grounds do you choose decide your movies?
A promising script and a promising role that contributes to the script is what matters. After that the movie is in the hands of the Mother Nature!
What do you do to make yourself a better actor?
Just be more, and more of yourself. Believe in your work. An actor should not act and instead try to become what or who they are playing. If you are too full of yourself, there is no room for another character. I try to avoid that and be neutral. As an actor I avoid doing roles I have already done.
