He made his mark in theatre and on television when he successfully essayed the role of a typical common man in “Wagle ki Duniya”. With successful tele-serials and films in his kitty, veteran actor Anjan Srivastav is now all set to appear in a cameo in the SAB TV show “Maniben.com”. Here, he talks to us about his long acting career and his future projects.
Could you tell us something about your the character that you are playing on the show?
I play a retired colonel, who is fond of collecting antiques. He is a man of old values and a high temper. He has collected a scooter which belongs to Maniben. The episodes deal with how she tries to get the scooter back from Colonel.
I think Smriti is a great actress, one of the best on television. I worked with her previously in “Viruddh”. I have worked before with Contiloe Productions in a few episodes of “Krishna Arjun” and with SAB in “Sahib Biwi Ke Ghulam”. So all three are well connected with me.
For a large part of your acting career, you kept your bank job. How did you manage?
I feel you should just go on doing work. I pursued my acting career and at the same time I did my bank work on the telephone. Fortunately, my chairman gave me all the necessary facilities. I also managed getting good publicity for the bank with my association with actors. I feel I am just doing what's written. And if you wish, you can manage anything.
You are soon to begin shooting for “Detective Wagle”, a sequel to your famous show ‘Wagle ki Duniya'. How is Wagle from “Wagle ki Duniya” different from Wagle in ‘Detective Wagle'?
Wagle is now retired and he wants to do something after that. His wife is still employed and is frustrated with his attitude. He wants to become a detective now and keeps reading detective books. One day he sees an advertisement in the paper about an actress' ring having been stolen. He goes to the police and offers to help find the ring. The police, of course, do not take him seriously because they don't think a retired clerk can be of much help. The show is about how Wagle becomes a detective and tries to solve the case.
Theatre, television, cinema films…Which is your favourite actor's medium?
For me, it's theatre, because it has no technical bar. Every performance, every show in theatre has something new, because unlike film or television, it does not capture you in film. I feel that an actor's job is to create, understand and live a character, which is only truly possible in theatre. Theatre is my life. If it dies, so will I.
What are your future plans?
I will soon start shooting for “Detective Wagle” and I also have Farah Khan's film “Tees Maar Khan”. I cannot do just any show. For me, the offer has to be up to the mark. Even when it comes to cinema, I like to do only quality films. I am always ready for Raj Kumar Santoshi and Kundan Shah. They are the ones who discovered me and made me what I am. So for them, I am always there. Other than that, I want to see my children well settled in their career.
