In 1983, as a part of the inter-collegiate competition, Manoj Joshi, wrote, acted and directed a play called Karma , based on the Hindu religion and rituals. Three decades later, when he was approached to play a role on similar lines in the Marathi film Dashkriya , it was as if “life has come to a full circle”. Joshi who won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 64th National Awards says, “Like my father and grandfather, I am also well versed in the vedas so when the role came along, I didn’t have to research much.” He credits theatre as a medium for his craft as it made him, “almost perfect as a human being and as actor”. “It has honed my observation skills and helped me become a spontaneous, method actor,” says the 51-year-old actor.
Joshi’s film Dashkriya derives its name from the last rites of a deceased in the Hindu region and is based on a community who are Brahmin by birth, but their profession renders them outcastes. “The little-known sect of Brahmins is known as ‘kirwants’ whose religious duty is to perform the last rites at cremations. Marginalised by the entire community in general, and the brahmins in particular, kirwants are treated like polluting outcastes,” says Joshi who plays Keshav, the conniving head of the community. Joshi’s character has shades of grey whose arrogance takes him down in the end. “For his own gain, he would scheme and go to any length. It’s a bold subject and has never been attempted on screen before,” he explains.
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In the last few years, Joshi has emerged as one of the bankable character actor. Born in the family of scholars, Joshi entered the theatre world in 1984 and acted and directed on the Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi stage. “My grandfather used to ask me that since I am a vedic scholar
On stage, knowing the three languages helped him adapt the nuances of one language to the other. “I even translated Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghashiram Kotwal into Gujarati, complete with songs. It was an experiment which was successful,” says the actor who went on to act in plays such as Gandhi Virudh Gandhi, Suryavanshi, Ragila Re among others. But it’s the play Chanakya that has brought him recognition and awards. The character of the popular historical teacher and philosopher has become synonymous with Joshi. He also reprised the role in a ’90s TV show also titled Chanakya and even also portrayed the same character in Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat . “The best part about this play is the way it has been written. It's very relevant even today,” says the actor who has been playing the character for the last 27 years. “This play is a modest attempt to read those glorious pages from the past. Half of my life has been spent on this play. In between, I did about 107 films and numerous serials, but this play has found an audience because Chanakya [the character] is immortal and eternal.”
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Joshi’s foray into films and television was accidental, as he always “wanted to be a theatre actor only.” Like every aspiring theatre artist, he was content to be on the stage but soon realised that it wasn’t enough to pay his bills. “I started doing a couple of TV shows for survival. I even thought that the small roles would eventually lead to a bigger role,” says the actor who has starred in popular teleseries such as Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka and Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli .
In 1998, a chance meeting with John Matthew Mathais during the pre-production of Sarfarosh led to work in Bollywood. Mathais had approached Joshi’s brother (late Rajesh Joshi) to play the role of Bala Thakur. “My brother was referred by Aamir Khan after Rangeela where he played Aamir’s friend Pakya. Initially, he was supposed to play a small role as Aamir’s side kick but after seeing his performance, the writers Neeraj Vora and Sanjay Chel gave his role more prominence.” After being briefed about his role in Sarfarosh , Rajesh thought that the role fitted his brother better. When he requested Mathais to let Joshi play the role of a gun handler, the director shot down the idea, insisting that “he knew which role would suit” him, having watched Joshi’s acting prowess in his plays. “Instead, he approached me to play the Senior Inspector’s role, warning me about the brief role but I was too eager to lap it up,” reminisces the actor who later went on to star in films such as Hungama, Guru, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Hasee toh Phasee.
“I was happy to start my career with roles that demanded buffoonery, caricature and humour but eventually I was tired of being typecast,” he laments. In an industry where one cannot be too selective, Joshi has now decided to choose his roles, post Hasee toh Phasee , a role which is one of his favourite portrayals. “After this National Award, my responsibility to play good roles has further increased,” he signs off.