Subodh Bhave “I am scared to do a role in my comfort zone”

Actor-Director SUBODH BHAVE who has been acting for the last 16 years tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that it excites him to act in different languages besides Marathi, like Malayalam and Gujarati.

What attracted you to say yes to the offer to act in Chand Priticha?
There were three factors which made me say yes to the offer when I received it. First of all, till date I have not been part of a lavni-centric film in Marathi. Earlier, whether it was for films or TV or for that matter the stage, I had never played a blind man or a dholkiwala and it was again a first for me to play the part of a blind dholkiwala and thirdly it is for the first time that I got an opportunity to work with an old school director like N Relekar

How tough was it for you to get into the skin of your character in Chand Priticha?
To tell you the truth, acting in the film was more like a workshop for me since I used to make it a point to play my dholki the whole day for the film. It was when I was learning how to play the dholki that I yearned and wished that I had also learnt how to play on the tabla too

How was it working with newcomers like Suvarna Kale, Vikas Samudre and Harsh Kulkarni in the film?
It was again for the first time that I got an opportunity to work with both Suvarna and Harish. It was Harsh’s first film as an actor and Suvarna’s second but I had acted with Vikas Samudre earlier. It was very good to bring together all kinds of schools of actors and act in an out and out musical film in Marathi.

Like you said, it is for the first time that you had worked with an old school director like Relekar. How was your experience?
Relekarsaab has a lot of tehrao in him as a director. What I like about his way of working is that he takes out expressions out of the actors laying a lot of clarity.

How open are you to take up different and difficult roles which challenge you as an actor?
Frankly speaking, it bores me to death if I am asked to play roles which are similar and stereotyped. It is only when I am scared to do a role that I feel comfortable. I do not let myself be comfortable because as an actor, I do not think I want to settle down.

Can you elucidate?
When I start work in any film, I want to feel on the first day that I am actually starting from the scratch. I always consider my director to be my teacher on the sets and make it a point to learn A to Z of the various nuances of my character from my director though I am a director myself. I have started enjoying this phase of mine as an actor.

You have been acting for the last 16 years. Tell me which are your favorite films as an actor?
Besides Chand Priticvha and Aami Asu Laadke, my favorite films are Katyar Kaljaat Ghusali, Bal Gandharva, Ulladal, Hrudayanthar, Fugay and Chand Priticha, because I played entirely different roles in each of these films and cherish working in those films.

Looking at the way you work, either as a director or actor, one gets the feeling that you are a thin king actor. Is it true or not?
It is absolutely not at all true that I am a thinking actor because I do not think a lot. Because I am of the opinion that if I think a lot, I may not be able to work at all.

You acted with Adoor Gopalakrishnan in a Malayalam film titled Pinneyum. How easy is it for you to work in different languages other than Hindi?
When it comes to acting or for that matter singing, I think language is actually immaterial. I do not think that I have achieved anything great by acting films other than Marathi because I feel whether it is Marathi or Hindi or Malayalam, every language has its own colors. Besides Hindi, I have already worked in Hindi films like Ardhangini Ek Ardhsatya as well as Aiyya (with which Malayalam super star Prithiviraj had made his debut in Bollywood). Pinneyum was directed by the world famous director Adoor Gopalakrishnan. I was teamed in the film along with Dileep and his wife Kaavya Madhavan. I am now agog with excitement over acting in a Gujarati film. In fact, I have started learning Gujarati for the same

Dileep was arrested by Kerala Police for molesting his co-actress. What do you feel about it?
I do not have anything to say about it because I really do not know what exactly happened and it will be very unfair to pass any comment about Dileep on the case which is yet going on.

What next, after Chand Priticha?
I have signed for acting in a horror film called Khel, a comedy called Majha Agadbam and a film based on the popular play Savita Damodar Paranjpe. In have not seen the play but will focus on the subject when I set out to act in the film. I have also plans to direct not just one but two films in Marathi though it is far too early for me to announce the same now. I also will act in those films because if I do not act in them, who else will?