Mostly seen portraying a father’s role in movies and television serials, actor Rajeev Verma has a new show on his plate after having acted in serials like “Chotti Bahu” and “Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein”. Well-known for the character in films like “Hum Saath-Saath Hain”, “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” and “Andaaz” a milestone of his careerwas “Maine Pyar Kiya” where he played Salman’s father.In his new show “Janmon Ka Rishta”, he plays an IAS officer who keeps his integrity above all other factors and lives his life keeping his values intact. The cast being mostly below the age of 40, this show is a blend of drama, romance, comedy and a social message towards anti-corruption. In an interview with the Friday Review, Rajeev Verma talks about “Janmon Ka Rishta”, his life as “Babuji” and his take on the kind of family ties that prevail in today’s world.
Excerpts from an interview:
A little about “Janmon Ka Rishta”?
“Janmon Ka Rishta” is about Surendra Kapoor, an IAS officer who has high moral values despite his circumstances. His family is his support system and stands by him through thick and thin. His three daughters try living life on their own terms and his son tries hard to cope with the mother’s death. The problems they face in their life and how they come out of it as a family is emphasized upon. Surendra Kapoor plays an honest municipal commissioner who antagonizes powerful builders' lobby.
What drew you to play the character? I see this as a unique plot which runs various genres parallel to each other. This story has so many different angles to cover, be it drama or romance, message or even a comic angle for that matter, thereby, giving the actors an opportunity to be versatile. Besides there is also an intense social message given to the audience.
Having played a father to some of the leading actors in the country, do you think it is a unique art to play somebody’s dad?
My initial experience as an actor in Bollywood was to play Salman Khan’s father in “Maine Pyar Kiya” but Sooraj Barjatya told me that more than Salman’s father, I was playing a friend of Alok Nath. The story was not just about a boy and a girl in love, but also about two families and their friendship. Blending into the characters and using my real life experiences to portray my roles has always been my key. I did venture into playing a negative role in some of my earlier movies but in vain. I guess I was not meant to be a villain and playing a father was my thing.
How different do you find shooting for a movie from television serials? Shooting for a movie, we are put together as a unit for a particular story for a particular time but for TV serials our story gradually keeps developing and we focus on the day-to-day problems faced by families and their solutions. Be it a movie or a TV show, after working together everyday, the entire unit gets used to each others presence in their lives and we sort of become an extended family for each other.
What do you think about the value of family bonds to today’s youth?
In the earlier times, the profession taken up by every family member used to be common and such a thing kept the entire family together. Today, we have the grandfather working in a profession A, the father in a profession S and the son in a profession Z. This leads to a lot of travelling and the inception of nuclear families. Unlike the old times, the family gets together only on festivals and special occasion. The love and value is most certainly the same but circumstances have drawn them apart physically.
