In a world where ‘look at me’ is a common refrain; here is an actor who loves to be invisible. At times he is Bagh Bahadur at others he is Maulana Qureshi. It is not that he doesn’t love to play cocky. But when he does we remember Pavan Malhotra as Hari of Nukkad or Salim Langda of Dongri. Now India International Centre Film Club is hosting a retrospective “Unamasking Pavan” to celebrate the work of an actor who is in for a marathon. “Acting is not a 100 metre dash for me,” says the Delhi boy who grew up in the lanes of Rajendra Nagar but is often remembered for his authentic portrayal of Mumbai gangsters and road side Romeo with the heart of a child. Much before Satya there was Salim, much before Munna there was Hari. In fact Sanjay Chhel often says while writing Rangeela he had Hari in mind.
“After playing Salim, I was asked to go to Dubai to pay respect to the bhai, who apparently liked my performance and get plum roles in return. A struggler, who had some underworld connection, brought the message of Haji Mastan. Those were pre-mobile days and he was looking for me for many days and finally found me on a petrol pump. He said the don wanted to know whether the guy really belonged to Dongri. I felt I had done my job but didn’t respond to the advances. It continued till Black Friday (where he played Tiger Memon), when after the screening a journalist told me that the masterminds in Pakistan have conveyed praise for my performance,” says Malhotra lighting up the muted atmosphere at Monsoon restaurant of New Delhi’s Le Meridien.
He says analysts often say that he doesn’t have mannerisms. “My submission is each character that I play has mannerisms and gestures but I don’t carry them to my next role. I am neither Bagh Bahadur nor I am Tiger Memon.” Buddhadeb Dasgupta often says he hasn’t seen an actor who can suffer as much for a character as Pavan. “I didn’t know dance but I knew to play a dancer you need not be pansy but at the same time you have to convey flexibility.” He shows us a glimpse of the movement. “Thankfully, the movements were based on Chhau, the only dance form I knew a little bit about. I practised it when I was doing ‘Animal Farm’ on stage. Still it was very tough. My back used to hurt. And the teacher was a tough taskmaster. He used to ask how I take it. I said what you are giving me is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.”
He could mould himself because he hasn’t cut connection with ordinary people. “These are the people whom we reflect on screen. Some actors tend to become aloof as they rise. I feel the moment you cut this link your shop is shut.” Pavan cites the example of Road to Sangam where it is almost impossible to recognise him as Maulana Abdul Qureshi. Director Amit Rai says while watching the rushes he could not make out this was the guy he was with on the sets. “As he read the script, memories of an uncle who used to come to my father’s shop came to my mind and the lines like khana, khazana or zanana dhak kar rakhiye started making sense to me.” This time Pavan gives an insight into the exaggerated lip movement.
Similarly in Don , Pavan recalls the scene where Shah Rukh throws the floppy at him. “During rehearsals, Shah Rukh said he would throw it to my side so that I can catch it. I said he should throw it at my body. So that I would catch it awkwardly and say my line: main bachhon jaisi harkatein nahin karta .”
Pavan, who is known to say no to frivolous roles in big films, says he was never averse to commercial cinema. “After Salim I went to all the mainstream directors. From Yash Chopra and Chetan Anand to Subhash Ghai and Mahesh Bhatt I knocked at every big name’s door. People don’t say it but you have to accept in the film industry nobody wants to bell the cat. Forget me, actors of the calibre of Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan had to look for work for almost a decade despite their strong theatre background and family connections. And then there came a time when no film was considered complete without them.”
Somebody who takes immense pride in his work, Pavan had the gumption to ask Subhash Ghai what was his role in Pardes . “I said I have always worked in films which have bound scripts. He nonchalantly said, bhai script to hum sirf hum Censor Board ko hi bhejte hain . He went on to add that he has seen my work and that’s why he called me. However, later he told a senior journalist that Pavan asked him about his role in the film.”
Pavan doesn’t like to romanticise his craft. “No actor has fallen off stage. Film shooting is even more complex. On stage if somebody in the crowd whispers an actor gets disturbed. In cinema if you are kissing the heroine, you have to keep in mind the movement of the trolley and tilt your head accordingly. When you are about to give the shot, the cameraman can object to the lack of light on the face and you have to feel the emotion all over again. Of course you have to feel the character but at the same time you have to keep in mind that the lens is your audience.”
He gives credit to his directors and destiny. “The six films that have been picked for the retrospective happen to be the best work of the directors. They might not have raked in crores but are still remembered. For me a good director is like a tongawallah. During the ride, he keeps on talking to the horse. It is often peppered with words like shabhash and dekh ke . It is only rare that he pulls out the stick. Anurag (Kashyap) told me after sharing his vision that now if I tell you what to do I will never get what you can give to the character.”
Many believed that he can’t hit the high notes till they saw him playing a Punjabi with relish in Jab We Met and Milkha Singh or Children of War for that matter. “Unless you get an opportunity, an actor can’t do much. Once when I was doing Aahat , B.P. Singh told me that I am known for realistic performances and now the demands of television are different. I said I can’t decide the pitch of the character at home. It has to come from the overall vision of the director. If I have to be shown tied upside down, I have to convey the pain. In Jab We Met , the overall mood was so cheerful that even negative characters had to exude some positivity. Yes, I can’t do slapstick.”
Now he is resisting the temptation to be typecast as father. “I have refused four offers from Dharma Productions to play a father. I have no problem in playing an old man but I don’t want to be bracketed as father.” The struggle goes on and the patience continues to be tested….
(The retrospective is on till January 21 at the IIC)
