Pankaj Kapur opens up about his reputation of being a ‘difficult actor’: ‘I would not work without a script’

Pankaj Kapur explains that during the early years of his career, this was uncommon, leading to a misunderstanding about his work ethic.

Pankaj Kapur has long carried the reputation of being a “difficult actor” in the film industry, but the veteran performer says the label largely stems from his insistence on reading a proper script before agreeing to a role. Known for his meticulous approach to acting and attention to detail, Pankaj says the perception dates back to the early years of his career when such demands were uncommon in the industry.

Pankaj Kapur, known for being a difficult actor, attributes this perception to his insistence on reading scripts before roles.

Pankaj Kapur talks about his difficult actor image

The actor recently spoke about the issue in an interview with Zoom while promoting his latest project, Jab Khuli Kitaab, in which he stars alongside Dimple Kapadia. The film is directed by actor and filmmaker Saurabh Shukla, who was present during the conversation when Kapur addressed the long-standing perception. Pankaj explained that the label began soon after he moved to Mumbai following his training at the National School of Drama. According to the actor, his habit of asking for a script before starting work was considered unusual at the time.

Clarifying the situation, Pankaj said, “When I came from the National School of Drama to Mumbai, and I started to find work, I was asked to play a certain part. I asked for a script, and they said I'm a difficult actor for asking for one. For years, it stuck on because I would say I would not work without a script and without knowing what I am doing in this given structure of things. A whole lot of people got put off by that, and they branded me as a difficult actor.”

He added that during the earlier decades of the industry, it was common for actors to arrive on set without having read a full script beforehand. Scenes were often shared shortly before filming, leaving performers to prepare at the last minute.

“In those days, nobody would ask for a script. Even the hero wouldn’t ask for a script. The director would say, ‘Come’, and he would go there, and the scenes were given at the last minute. They would just prepare the scenes and perform them. Hats off to those actors who did that. My training said that without a script, without me knowing what I'm doing and without working on the character that I'm supposed to portray,” Pankaj said.

Pankaj Kapur on the directors he has worked with

The actor also noted that filmmakers who worked with structured scripts never faced problems collaborating with him. He mentioned directors such as Basu Chatterjee, Vishal Bhardwaj and Anubhav Sinha as examples of directors whose working methods aligned with his approach. Recalling his time working on the television series Karamchand, Pankaj said he once insisted on receiving the script a day before shooting his scenes, which surprised the director at the time. However, he maintained that he could not convincingly perform without understanding the material and the character he was portraying.

Jab Khuli Kitaab, starring Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia, premiered on March 6 and is streaming on ZEE5.