Amol Palekar on his memoir: ‘I was the other angry young man’

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The reward is simply a immense “sack” of memories and experiences that Palekar, who turns 80 connected November 24, has looked backmost on. Palekar, who grew up successful a middle-class, Marathi-speaking household successful Mumbai, studied good arts earlier helium started acting successful theatre and moving his ain theatre group. He made his debut successful films with Satayadev Dubey’s Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1971) followed by Basu Chatterjee’s Rajnigandha (1974) and films specified arsenic Chhoti Si Baat (1976), Gharonda (1977) and Gol Maal (1979), earlier directing films similar Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jayen (1990) and Paheli (2005), India’s authoritative introduction for Best Foreign Films astatine the 2006 Oscars, and winning awards for his enactment successful Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada films. After moving to Pune, helium went backmost to his archetypal love, painting, and has held 7 solo exhibitions. At his workplace successful Pune, helium speaks astir being susceptible successful his roles and playing some leader and villain, being the existent aggravated young antheral and however OTT platforms person changed the prima strategy of the industry. Excerpts:

Firstly, wherefore a memoir?

A simpler question would be, wherefore not? The trigger was Covid. When determination was truthful overmuch turmoil outside, it gave maine clip to contemplate and dive into the past. I realised determination were truthful galore beauteous memories and besides those I did not privation to remember. I would beryllium present successful my workplace and constitute by hand. It was a benignant of catharsis. I gave it to Sandhya (his wife). She has curated the books and I tin accidental the fragrance successful them comes from her.

How antithetic is the existent antheral from the reel man? And has helium emerged successful this book?

I utilized to ever consciousness I americium precise arrogant of the boy-next-door image. What I person been capable to represent and what radical loved was the vulnerability of that man. In each portrayal, I tried to find the susceptible spot successful that quality who was frightened of tripping oregon falling down due to the fact that that is however we are successful existent life. But having said so, this wasn’t the lone thing. I ever springiness the illustration of the elephant and the unsighted men. You spot what you see. I americium thing similar that — acold beyond the antheral you spot connected celluloid. Even the characters I portrayed, I tried to represent arsenic galore antithetic kinds arsenic possible, but erstwhile doing that, I had to spell against the norms of the industry. I was a precise palmy hero, truthful for maine to play a villain astatine that clip was thing unheard of. My producers didn’t similar it — I didn’t care. I said I privation to research the histrion successful me, not the star. I don’t attraction astir the stardom. But to negate my ain stardom oregon tally distant from it was 1 dilemma I had to support facing successful my career. The existent antheral kept connected searching for thing chartless to me. It was casual to spell connected doing thing I was bully astatine and radical loved it. But I wanted to find out, tin I bash this, tin I bash that? There was a immense hazard of my nonaccomplishment and I was ever acceptable to instrumentality the risk.

So portion you were this boy-next-door successful the epoch of the aggravated young man, successful a mode you were a rebel, adjacent an aggravated young antheral successful your ain right, weren’t you?

It’s unbelievable that Amitabh Bachchan was known arsenic the aggravated young man, erstwhile I was really the one, though successful a precise unobtrusive, unseen manner, truthful radical didn’t realise it. But you tin spot it successful my films and portrayals. Besides, I rebelled against astir of the things. I was known for rejecting 9 offers retired of 10. I rebelled against the strategy that demanded that immoderate is successful, you spell connected churning that. I bash not mince words; I instrumentality a presumption that astir don’t. This is wholly unexpected from the antheral who would fumble, travel and autumn down connected the screen. So, done this book, radical volition get to cognize that facet of me. They whitethorn not hold with me, but they volition surely recognize maine better.

You say, successful your preface — you regret not having been capable to archer your parent that you forgave her? Forgave her for what?

It was astir apt the archetypal large rebellion of excavation — against what she believed successful and however she wanted maine to spell up successful my life. And lasting up against that was thing she ne'er forgave maine for. So present it’s up to maine to forgive her, not clasp immoderate grudge against her oregon beryllium bitter astir it oregon spell connected harping astir it. This is however I person moved on.

Bollywood Actor-director Amol Palekar (File Photo)

You recognised the value of tv erstwhile mainstream stars would shy distant from it. From Kachchi Dhoop (1987) connected the tiny surface to present Farzi (2023) connected OTT, has your travel travel afloat circle?

I hold I could spot the spot of tv alternatively of looking down connected it mode backmost then. Its biggest spot is successful reaching retired to the remotest corners of the country. But alternatively of giving them sugar-coated lollipops, I americium blessed I could springiness thing which was different, of precocious prime and of large literate value. Similarly, OTT platforms person managed to interruption the strategy of the movie industry, peculiarly the prima system. It’s precise absorbing that portion destroying the prima strategy of films, they person created their own. But inactive truthful galore chartless faces person had the accidental to scope retired to an audience. During Covid, OTT platforms were the solace for everybody. In fact, the Cannes movie festival, with each its aura, said they volition not judge films from OTT, truthful OTT said okay, we volition not nonstop our films to you. Later, Cannes had to crook backmost and beseech them to nonstop their films. So that’s a large alteration that has happened.

Amol Palekar arsenic Lakshmanprasad Sharma successful Gol Maal.

Talking of changes, from penning your memoir successful agelong manus and embedding your publication with QR codes each through, you look to person moved with technology.

I effort and our girl Samiha keeps encouraging me. I bash judge though that I indispensable usage exertion to my vantage and not fto exertion govern me. The QR codification is simply a precise antithetic experimentation done which they volition not conscionable work astir a peculiar movie and my experiences but tin spell to the QR codification and really spot the films — perfectly escaped of charge. That again is thing not acceptable adjacent contiguous — that determination is nary monetisation successful this. I person gone acold beyond each that. I volition beryllium blessed due to the fact that yet what does an histrion privation really? It’s to scope retired to arsenic galore radical arsenic possible. And I americium doing that with the 23 QR codes embedded successful the publication that springiness entree to uncommon posters, hand-drawn hoardings of films released successful the ’70s and ’80s, performances from theatre festivals organised successful Pune past 5 years and, of course, truthful galore movies.