“Whatever an actor earns from theatre he spends it on films. This happens only when he is an actor in the real sense,” asserts theatre-turned-film actor Akhilendra Mishra, who learned the nuances of acting while performing in plays staged by the Indian People’s Theatre Association and then put his 25 years of expertise in drama to use in playing meaningful yet divergent characters like Mirchi Seth in Aamir Khan’s starrer Sarfarosh , a blacksmith-turned-willower in Lagaan and more recently, a trigger happy bumbling gangster in Ready .
Sitting at the coffee shop of Hotel Taj Palace, Akhilendra looks like an experienced practitioner of theatre who can speak with conviction on theatre, television and cinema.
“Theatre is the base for an actor which helps him to improvise his character and infuse life into even the most dead and clichéd roles in any medium. Har role par jaan phukni parti hai, ” says Akhilendra.
But why did he decide to move from theatre to cinema? “Writer-director K.K. Singh spotted me. He would intently watch my performances in plays and in the serial Chandrakanta . Impressed with my ability to go into the skin of each character, he gave me a role in his film Veergati . With Salman Khan in the lead, the film was written and directed by Singh. Those days, filmmakers like him were not interested in generating 100 crore of business; their single-minded focus was on the content. In fact, I would say that content was the hero and even today films where content is supreme work wonders at the box office. But the sad reality is that today marketing has taken precedence over screenplay and direction.”
Unlike a majority of film and television actors, who multitask, Akhilendra does only one project at a time.
“This gives me creative satisfaction and my focus doesn’t get diverted. Whether the shooting is for 40 or 50 days, I give my full energy, concentration to ensure that my character creates an impact on the mind of the audience. Running from one studio to another while handling multiple projects is disadvantageous and leads to inefficiency, lapse of concentration and saps your energy,” says the actor.
After a long gap, Akhilendra is returning to the small screen through Tu Mera Hero , which premieres on Star Plus on December 22.
In this serial, to be aired from Monday to Saturday, he is playing father to newcomer Priyanshu Johra, who portrays a laidback youngster interested in enjoying his father’s hard-earned wealth.
Shedding light on his character, Govind Narain, a cloth merchant in Mathura, the actor says, “The father has a son, who is a nikamma nikhatu .”
As a veteran actor, Akhilendra gives his input and then leaves it to the director’s wisdom whether he incorporates it or not. But the actor ensures that he gives his own personal touch to every character.
Live demoThe challenge for Akhilendra is to implement this simple story idea in a manner that the audience laughs.
Not a difficult task, if his live demonstration before an audience of mediapersons was any indication.
The way he depicted a man running after his spendthrift son, who in turn cracks jokes at his expense, convinced one that he is adept at creating situational comedy.
