Trust him!
Mona
Actor Namit Das is living almost parallel lives, on reel and in real. Eight months into the show, Sumit Sambhal Lega, and six months into matrimony, this actor is on a tightrope walk. Like his on-screen persona, he is little anxious, little edgy, loves cricket to the hilt but claims to be no escapist. He admits that life’s is doling out precisely what his script is but then this ‘Namit can handle everything!’
The lead character in Sumit Sambhal Lega, which is an Indian adaptation of hugely popular American sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Namit knows he has large shoes to fill but is sure of the vision of the creative team behind the show.
“I felt the pressure for as long as six months into the shoot. Everybody... is known around the world, adapted in different regions, but in the company of legends like Bharati Achrekar and Satish Kaushik, directed by talented Shashant Shah I have started to believe in the show,” opens up Namit Das in Chandigarh on Thursday.
Accompanying this versatile actor was Shashant Shah, the man behind gems like Chalo Dilli, Dasvidaniya and The Great Indian Comedy Show. “You know Namit wasn’t doing a good job as Sumit so our team managed to push him into matrimony and lo and behold, he has done a fabulous job as man caught between his mother and wife,” Shashant makes fun of his colleague. The strength of the original sitcom was that its universal premise which Sumit Sambhal Lega exploits to the hilt. This story revolves around a Delhi-based Punjabi family. The same plot, labelled as ‘har mard ka dard’, a man caught between his wife and mother. An elder unmarried brother and dad, each with their own quirks complete this set.”
“The original one was a classic but we are in India 2015, twenty years after the show hit the screen first. The creative team headed by Rajesh Devraj has managed well to portray the current milieu,” shares Shashant.
Ask him on who remains his favourite character, he finds it tough to play favourites but doesn’t shy away from admitting that he would look forward to spend time post ‘cut’ to learn from Bharati and Satish.
“The entire cast of the show is theatre trained and follows the same discipline,” he adds. Namit is enjoying every bit of moving between theatre, telly and films. “I am up for any project that enriches me as an actor, the medium is secondary.”
The show has given both men some practical tips, Shashant bought two identical necklaces, as his wife frowned, ‘You have someone else outside’, he was quick to correct her it’s inside, his mother. Namit goes philosophical, “Look, life would always present challenges. Either you can cry about it or look at it in a humorous light, I choose the latter.”
Watch this show on Star Plus starting August 31
mona@tribunemail.com
