Raghubir Yadav: ‘If I start thinking about awards, it will be dishonesty with myself’

Raghubir Yadav has said if he starts thinking about awards and rewards, it will be dishonest as an artiste. The actor was recently seen in Panchayat.

The prolific Raghubir Yadav is in no mood to take it slow. The actor has an interesting filmography to his name and has now made his digital debut too with Jitendra Kumar and Neena Gupta on the web show, Panchayat. The Newton actor plays the ‘pradhan pati’ on the show, which has received love from the audience for displaying the minutiae of the rural life with honesty and empathy.

Raghubir Yadav in a still from Panchayat.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Raghubir opened up about his love for village shoots and called it a big reason for choosing rural stories such as Panchayat. He says, “I did the show because of its subject. I have seen village panchayats and the show has shown us the fine nuances of a village in a very beautiful way. India is a land of villages. Every village has its speciality and a different environment. How the villagers work hard to earn their livelihood makes their lives stand apart from each other.”

Raghubir Yadav (third from right) and Jitendra Kumar (first from right) in Panchayat.

Raghubir shared the screen space with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan actor Jitendra Kumar in the show and the latter was the one who revealed how Raghubir loves village shoots. “I never used to sit in a vanity van. We all live in metro cities and hardly ever get an opportunity to sit under a tree. We have forgotten that air, the energy we get in a tree’s shade. Whenever I shoot at places where I have an option of relaxing in a vanity van or under a tree, I prefer the latter,” confirmed Raghubir while sharing his experience of working in Panchayat.

Raghubir united with his National School of Drama co-student Neena in Panchayat and calls her character “dominating”. “She is the sarpanch but since I am the husband, I take care of her official duties which include paper work, attending meetings and going outdoors. However, she is the one who has her say in decision making.”

Ragubir agrees there is a rise in good roles for middle-aged actors these days. “This age comes with experience. These characters have lived life that’s why we like them. It is fun playing such roles. Earlier, the makers used to focus only on the lead actors as compared to the supporting cast. They must have worked hard to gain such a position. There are many such characters in stories set in villages,” he says.

Raghubir has a filmography worth being proud of. He has played pivotal roles in film such as Salaam Bombay!, Lagaan, Water and Newton, all of which were India’s official entries for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards. Enquire him about getting his due, Raghubir makes it clear awards were never on his mind.

“I never think like that. If I get the work which satisfies me, it’s enough for me. I will be happy if I continue to get good work. I have worked a lot in theatre and this has made me focus more on my work than rewards. If I start thinking about all that, it will be dishonesty with myself. I do my work with honesty and then it gets an award or not, it doesn’t bother me. Of course, getting recognition gives me happiness but I don’t think about awards,” he says.

While many are looking for ways to spend their time during lockdown, Raghubir claims he has enough on his plate. He says, “I have so many things to do. I have so many books and musical instruments like harmonium, sitar, mandolin. I have a workshop as I have worked in stagecraft so I keep making some instruments. I brought some bamboos from a shoot and I make flutes out of them. I feel life is too short and there are so many things to do. So since I have got time, I do them. I also do household chores. I love cooking and am enjoying washing clothes.”

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