‘I try to play a human being’

Nonika Singh

As Raid is growing from strength to strength at the boxoffice, one viewpoint that is gaining ground is: Saurabh Shukla is the real hero of the film. The National Award-winning actor, who never ceases to amaze us with his histrionic prowess and incredible range, however, takes the praise with a pinch of salt. Rather modestly he says, “Cinephiles love my character of Tauji because the film is so well made. My co-actor Ajay Devgn has put in a brilliant performance.”

Brilliance, of course, is a suffix that can be permanently appended to most of Shukla’s performances. So how does he nail his part with nuances and inflections intact? He doesn’t give easy answers whether he is or isn’t a method actor. “Be it as a judge in Jolly LLB judge or as Tauji in Raid, behind what you see on the screen lie 35 years of experience as an actor.” A comic part or a serious one, he views each character as a human being, not a cardboard cutout.  “Pathos can have a comic thread running in it,” he says. 

It’s not just his recent successes that have given him greater freedom to accept a  particular role. Right from 1993 when he forayed into the film industry, he knew that he had to escape being typecast.

“We are always in a space to make the kind of choices we want to,” he says.  

As he looks back at his journey, he feels Satya has been a game changer. Not only for his “Goli Maaro Bheje Mein” Kallu mama act, but more importantly for  the film has been able to knock down many preconceived notions about what works in the market. The film that he co-wrote won him an award too.

Between Shukla the actor and writer as well as director, he sees no line of demarcation. “All aspects are an extension of the artists that we are. In Hollywood, actors like Clint Eastwood comfortably transit into able directors. Actors like Matt Damon are adept at the craft of writing too.” His brush with the West, in films like Slumdog Millionaire, does not make him go gaga over Hollywood; “Creative process is universal.”

Indian cinema, he says, is world class. As an example, he holds up movies like Masaan. Then there is his all-time favourite Sholay. As a child he toyed with the idea of writing Sholay part 2, a fascination that led him to acting. Among his own films… well, since characters for him are akin to girlfriends, the most preferred always is the latest (read Raid). Few weeks down the line it could be Sudhir Mishra’s Daas Dev. In future, there is his own directorial venture which he is busy writing and will be produced by Nikhil Advani. A strong votary of realistic cinema and the need to tell your own stories, especially if you have to make a mark on the world stage, undeniably, the subject and treatment will be slice of life. “Don’t you dare misread real as drab for reality can be exciting?”

With Shukla around, there is rarely a dull moment. As he is ready to pack his bags for a month’s shooting schedule at Lucknow for Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai, one wonders if the title is true for his life too. Surprisingly, his memory bag is full of fun and party moments even in those initial years of “struggle” when he had no work. Character artistes’ space, many might argue, is too overcrowded for comfort. He avers, “India is crowded; we are 130 crore people. Period!” But it takes an actor of his calibre to stand out among the melee. Funny and incisive, menacing yet relatable, he slips into his many parts with an ease of a consummate performer.