Think Papa kehte hain and the face that pops in your mind after Aamir Khan is Dalip Tahil, the man who played dad to several stars on screen. Nevertheless Dalip Tahil is excited to be playing dad all over again, this time for a mythological on television.
“I have mostly played dad but this role will be special,” says Dalip Tahil who is in the city shooting for his role as Dashrath in Siya Ke Ram , which begins to air on Star Plus today. Dressed in his finery as the king of Ayodhya and father to Ram, Dalip meets and greets people who come to see him during the shoot. He explains why Siya ke Ram is the right show at the right time for the audience. “The everyday issues that we witness against women in the present day will throw light on the respect women enjoyed at the time of Ramayan. Sita wasn’t a weak woman; she was the one to follow her husband out of choice. It was her decision to follow her husband. Sita was a princess who was no less than a prince. Her upbringing was on par with that of any royal prince. When epics have examples of such brave and talented woman, what makes us think that women today are weak and are not on par with men?” questions the actor.
The actor says, as he shoots and works on the project, a new Ramayan unfolds, a Ramayan that’s more than what has already been told. He says he understands the characters and their intention much better in a modern context. “None of it is unrelated; how it was done may have been different but our bonds, our emotions and values remain the same,” he says.
Considering that Dalip Tahil also played a baddie in Shaan, did he ever imagine he would one day play Dashrath? “Not really. It is a good role; where I play a father all over again and this one isn’t any different from present day fathers. Dashrath apparently was an anxious father and it was his queen who made sure he didn’t break the rules of the Gurukul where his sons were getting educated. It has lessons on equality of education, of discipline and a family system which we all look for,” says the actor.
But Dalip as an actor never planned to play dad or the bad uncle he is remembered for. As a student of Sherwood in Nainital his participation in school dramas and choir, elocution competitions, nativity plays paved the way for his future as an actor and finally fate brought him to Mumbai where he joined the Theatre Group Bombay, and trained under Alyque and Pearl Padamsee. “I worked for some of the major productions and did many jingles and voiceovers. Money kept coming and I was happy. Finally after 19 years of stage work Shyam Benegal noticed me and I got my first break as an actor in Ankur after that I have been seen on and off on screen as a bad guy, as a father or as an uncle,” he laughs.
Dalip credits his stage and theatre stint for his chance in movies. He says he always did and still enjoys doing jingles.
“Maybe there’s nothing new in my present role as a dad. Except that I have three wives,” he laughs.
