Theatre and film actor Kumud Mishra proved his mettle yet again in the role of a veteran politician in Amazon Prime Video’s recently released Tandav.
Mishra came into the limelight with Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar as canteen owner Khatana bhai. He then impressed the audience with his portrayal of genial yet wily cop in Sriram Raghavan’s revenge flick Badlapur (2015). The actor has consistently given stellar performances — whether it's Jolly LLB2, Article 15, Thappad, and Ram Singh Charlie.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Your character Gopal Das Munshi in Tandav has several shades to him, is that why the role appealed to you?
Yes, my character is ambitious, he doesn't want to retire. On one hand, he is loyal and on the other, he is a bit crooked which attracted me to the part. But firstly it was director Ali Abbas Zafar, I have worked with him in the past (in Sultan) and we have a great understanding. Secondly, I like Gaurav Solanki’s writing; when I read the series I loved it.
But, between Thappad and Tandav, the former was more difficult because all the dilemma was on the inside, it was not supported by drama or dialogue baazi. It was the director's trust — he had imagined few things about the character what he was going through in his life. His daughter had left her husband’s house and come back home which is not very comfortable for the parents in our society. How does the girl’s father deal with it? He can’t talk about it and can share only with his wife. That character was more challenging, whereas, to express every shade in Tandav there is the support of dialogues, and even if I become weak then the script supports the emotion.
Having said that negative characters have many shades as compared to positive characters. When we turn voyeuristic and look into other people's houses it is only the negative shades that excite us. For instance, it is always the fights, altercations, abuses that attract us in the Bigg Boss house. The same happens in television news, all that brings more TRPs. That gives us the feel of reality and not fiction. Drama always attracts people.
You have played so many different characters in films like Sultan, Rockstar, Airlift, and Thappad. How do you select your roles?
I don’t have the choice to select, directors select me. It is not that there are many scripts lying and I have the choice to choose a role. In an ideal scenario, I wouldn’t like to be given a role. I would prefer getting the script in my hand first, reading it, and depending on that, I would decide whether I want to do the film.
Once I say yes, I should be told which role I am going to play. Then I would like to decide whether I want to play the character or not. If I know my role, my decision will be biased and greedy. On many occasions, the director becomes important. Nitin Kakkar, Anubhav Sinha, and Imtiaz Ali are some of the directors, when they offer me a film, the script is not important. I just want to relive the experience that I have already lived because they give me something new every time.
You are from NSD (National School Of Drama) and you have vast experience in theatre. Do you feel you have an advantage over other actors in cinema?
Theatre was never the stepping stone for me in television or cinema. Both, theatre and cinema are different art forms, both have their own khoobiyan (advantages). You have the choice, some want to continue experiencing the magic of theatre, whereas, some want to balance between the two, and some do theatre for training to get an opening in cinema. No process or choice is wrong. There are many actors who start with cinema and they take some time to understand the medium. The advantage of theatre is that your craft gets honed which helps and makes it a bit easy for you in cinema. The audience wants to see good performance and if theatre actors are adding to it then it is great.
How do you look at cinema? Has there been a change in your perception towards the craft?
Actually there is this nayi soch (new thinking). A new wave of directors have come into the industry and they are not looking at actors only as heroes or villains, they are looking at things in totality. Of course, there is a hero and a heroine but the new generation of directors are looking at cinema beyond the main characters. I am saying this despite the fact that stars play a big role in helping cinema to survive as money comes into the industry when their films do Rs 300 or 500 crore business. From that same money some people make experimental or independent cinema.
Earlier, certain actors would play similar parts in their entire career but not anymore. I want to rediscover myself as an actor and these new generation of directors also don’t want to repeat themselves. Anubhav (Sinha) always challenges me with new roles in his films. If I am not able to do it then he will bring another actor who fits the part rather than repeat me and disappoint his audience. So this is a good change.
What is the distinction between cinema and theatre for you?
Both the mediums are very different. Theatre definitely gives me more satisfaction because I have done theatre for a long time, there is bias. Now I maybe discovering cinema in a new light and I am also enjoying it a lot but if I have to choose, I will choose theatre. I get creative satisfaction in cinema also but my first love is theatre which I will never leave. Due to COVID-19 I was not able to do theatre for few months and I really missed it.
You had once mentioned that you work in films to "run your kitchen". Does that mean they don't satisfy you as an actor?
Cinema pays me enough for a certain kind of lifestyle. In the last few years, I have discovered a lot about myself, cinema has fulfilled me as an actor. I started exploring it very late in life. My loyalty was always towards theatre; I have done the worst plays without any regret. But I had resistance towards cinema. When someone offered me a role, I would show less interest. I did television for survival for sometime and did not have any regrets about it. Now that I am doing films seriously, I realise how much I have learned as an actor and can take that knowledge to my stage plays.
Do you think your talent has been tapped to your potential?
I am satisfied because I am getting enough work and that is the biggest satisfaction. I don’t know my own potential. I am discovering my potential with every film thinking that I have more possibilities. There is no greed when I will start getting mukhya (main) roles and then people will understand my potential. Whatever work I am getting people are liking it and directors are repeating me in one or four films. I have done small as well as big roles with the same director. I have done the main role with a director and with the same director I have done just three scenes in his film. I may also fail in a role and the audience may not find it very interesting. It is possible that your interpretation and the director's interpretation don't match. I believe in accepting criticism. This is a process and non-stop discovery keeps happening.
You have worked with big stars like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar. Do you feel their popularity and fame is overpowering?
It is very simple. The audience goes to watch stars like Salman, Akshay, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Ajay Devgn. Nobody should have this misconception that they are going to watch me. But yes, some of these audiences also watch us and appreciate us but there is a large audience that doesn’t even notice us. If in the same frame Salman and I are standing a large part of the audience won’t even notice me because they have come to the theatre only for Salman. These are the stars who have made a place for themselves. Acting is not wrestling. Acting is not competition. A world is created where there is a main part and you are playing his father, or son, or brother, or uncle. You are part of that world. I don’t like it when people say 'I have eaten him up', or 'He has eaten me up'. Whoever uses this language, whether in films or theatre, doesn’t understand the art or the medium. It never happens that one person dominates. But this debate will go on..
What are you working on next?
My next is Rohit Shetty's Sooryavanshi. I am working on a series with Imtiaz Ali, which he is yet to announce. He plans to start in two to three months. I am also doing a film with Yash Raj Films but since they have not spoken about the project, it would be unprofessional for me to do so.
(All images from YouTube)
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