Sachin Pilgaonkar “The Best Thing About Marathi Cinema is that there is no Star System”

Sachin Pilgaonkar tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that length is not important as the strength of the role.

In what way is the show No. 1 Yaari different from other shows in Marathi?
Till date no one has tapped or underlined a show which deals with purely friendship as a virtue, though you have seen shows which focus on husband and wife including my own Jodi Tujhi Majhi. Friendship is there and you can’t fake it. My show deals with the mysterious details of friendship. The USP of my show is that it will not promote any film, but only talk about friendship.

Does that mean that the show will not hit anyone below the belt?
If someone wears the belt too high, I just can’t help it. Jokes apart, my show Yaari No 1 is a fun show and not at all a typical chat show. Age is not a bar for the show because friendship can be of ten years too.

You are not only producing the show, but also directing it. Did it not strike you that you should be the host of the show instead of Swwapnil Joshi?
Had there been another host, may be the thought would have come to me to try my hand as the host. But with Swwapnil as the host, it is ruled out because Swwapnil is like my son, when I was directing my film Aamhi Satpute, we became friends too. When he is hosting the show, I have the feeling that I am hosting the show.

In how many films has Swwapnil acted with you?
We have acted together in Aamhi Satpute and we are going to act in Rakesh Sarang’s film very soon, though I would not like to divulge the details about it right now.

Why are you choosy as an actor?
I am answerable to my fans, who have unconditionally loved me for the last 55 years and just cannot afford to let them down. In any case, at this stage of my career, I think I will be able to take up different roles, without bothering about my image. Earlier, I had a lot of inhibitions as an actor, about myself and could not afford to take up any role which was not romantic or innocent, but now as barriers have opened up, I can try my hand at roles which may shock the audiences, like I played the arch villain in Katyar Kaljaat Ghusali.

Are you ready to do even small roles unlike earlier?
Length is not important as the strength of the role. I feel that you cannot do in 40 scenes what you can do as an actor in 4 scenes. Whether it is web, theater, film or TV, an actor should be ready to be part of any platform. If you know how to do and what you want to do, you can be part of any medium.

You are playing Rani Mukerjee’s father in Hitchki. Do you think the audience wil accept you as the father in a film?
If I could pass off easily as the father of Amruta Khanwilkar in Katyar Kaljaat Ghusali, tell me why I cannot play the father of Rani Mukerjee in Yashraj Films’ Hichki? You get to live another life as an actor. In any case, in my real life, I am a father to my daughter Shriya.

What is Shriya doing now? One has not seen her in a film after Fan in which she appeared opposite Shah Rukh Khan?
Shriya is a talented girl. She has imbibed it from her mother. Right now she is busy acting in web series. I feel that web series is going to be the future of cinema in India too.

Though Sairat crossed the 100 cr benchmark, why are the other Marathi films still struggling to make a mark?
It is because of the kind of love that Maharashtrians have for their mother tongue. Why does it not happen down South? Maharashtrians go to see a Salman Khan or Varun Dhawan film when they go to see a Hindi film, but it is only when they want to see content that they come to see a Marathi film.

You also made your debut in a web series produced by Yashraj Films. In what way is acting in a web series different from acting in a film?
I had acted in YRF’s web series which set out to blast some myths about the way Indians deal with the subject of sex, which is taboo. I am now acting in Nagesh Kukunoor’s web series on the floors right now called City of Dreams. It is a political thriller in which I play the role of the Chief Minister. You have to see the series to know whether I play a corrupt Chief Minister or a good one.

Which are your other assignments right now, besides City of Dreams and No 1 Yaari?
I am acting in Manoj Sawant’s Jawani Jaaneman and Gajendra Ahire’s Sohala, in which Shilpa Tulaskar is teamed opposite me, besides of course Rakesh Sarang’s next film in which Swwapnil is also acting.

You have perhaps played every kind of role in your career which has spanned 55 years. Is there any role which you are yet to do?
Would you believe it, with my romantic image as a burden, no one has offered me a Godfather type of role till date. I have also not played a dumb and deaf guy. I was a winner with my wife Supriya for the Nach Baliye and won a trophy for the best pair of dancers, yet no one has till date offered me a role which revolved around the theme of dance, like say Kamal Haasan or Rishi Kapoor.

Can you name some of the directors who you admire in Marathi cinema today?
Satish Rajwade, Sanjay Jadhav, Ravi Jadhav, Viju Mane and Gajendra Ahire, who has directed as many as 46 films in a span of just 25 years, are some of the promising directors who I admire in Marathi Cinema. I am open to acting with each and every one of these directors and any other directors too.

Does it upset you that there is no star system as such in Marathi cinema today?
Why today? There was never a star system in Marathi cinema as there are only actors in Marathi cinema and no stars. The best thing about Marathi cinema is that today the director is a star to pull the audiences to Marathi Cinema like Satrish Rajwade and Sanjay Jadhav.

Tell me who are the directors you admire in Hindi films?
I admire Meghna Gulzar, Nagesh Kukunoor and Rajkumar Hirani as far as Hindi films are concerned. There are many more directors who I admire, besides these three. I’d love to work with the younger breed of directors, because it is good to feel fresh. I am a person who always likes to look forward in life. I am a clear cut person who has no double standards. Just as I do not interfere with my directors on the sets, I also would like to work with directors who lead me and want to learn from directors who correct me and curb me.

Which are your best films as an actor till date?
Haa Majha Marg Ekla, Navra Majha Navsache, Sholay, Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi and last but not the least Ekulti Ek, are five of my best films till date as an actor.

What next as a director?
I am all set to launch my very dear late colleague Lakshmikant Berde’s son Abhinay Berde as a leading man in my film as a director shortly this year. Abhinay had earlier made his debut in Marathi films with Ti Sadhya Kaay Karte.