Sanjay Mishra: One has to accept, there is a shortage of good scripts
Sanjay Mishra, who returned to theatre with the play Ghasiram Kotwal, reflects on the current state of cinema and states why he's away from OTT
With a career spanning over three decades, veteran actor Sanjay Mishra choose to once again tap into his love for theatre and plays, with Ghasiram Kotwal. The actor who was recently seen in Son Of Sardaar 2 returned to theatre with the play in which he plays the role of Nana Phadnavis. "I feel honored to be back performing in front of a live audience with such a show which is considered to be a very profound play," says Sanjay, adding, "If you play cricket and you get to play in Lords ground, what can be better than that! That's how I am feeling with this role."
Ask him what made him decide about his return to plays, Sanjay says, "I am keen to play different characters. With plays, you instantly connect with the audience. The thrill and pressure to perform in front of live audience can't be described, only felt. In films, you can take multiple takes. If something goes wrong, you can redo it. But in theatre, you have to deliver it to every seat. There are lengths for it. A great performance is going on. You have to see it. A director cannot sit in a corner and edit it.”
He adds, "My audience loves to see me try my hand at variety of roles. That fuels my focus to keep experimenting and playing different characters which also challenge me. I am an actor who is hungry for work. I don't like boxing myself. But one can't deny the fact, that theatres gives one more scope and area to learn and experiment. With years into my career, I didn't have anything new coming my way which I already have played, so I turned towards theatre."
He mentions how he aims to focus on working on his craft so as to perform better on stage. "I am focusing on theatre for now. I want to explore other genres be it on stage or on big screen. As an actor, I am lucky that I get a chance to explore various genre, that filmmakers see that potential in me."
Sanjay says, he approached the transition from Marathi to Hindi with caution, aware that much could be 'lost in translation' seeing that the play was originally written and performed in Marathi language in 1972. "One has to try and keep the authenticity intact but I try to break it a little according to my understanding. With any character that you play, which has been played before also, this is the core understanding," says the 61-year-old, adding, "With plays the reactions come instantly. Sometimes you might get a lot of abuses and sometimes people praise you with a standing ovation. It's all a part of the process. Some might like my approach towards the character while some might even criticize. I have learnt to always keep learning."
Ask him what has kept him away from OTT, seeing that his last outing on digital platforms was in 2022 Bed Stories which did not manage to create much noise. He says: "My show Office Office was loved by many, even though Shukla Ji is retired, I loved being a part of it. I myself don't understand why I am not getting work on OTT. Having said that, for the past sometime, I have been focusing on films, seeing cinema 2 ghanta ki peshkash hoti hai, jo mujhe passand hai. Meri samaj ke hisab se, 'marro toh chakka (sixer) hi marro warna na marro.' Aisa koi role karne ka kya fayda hai jisko nibhane mei mazaa bhi na aae. Aur yeh bhi man na padega, ki kafi waqt se kuch interesting aaya bhi nahi hai."
Sanjay concludes, his thoughts by saying, “As an actor I can only focus my performance. If my movie does not earn money well, then what can I do? For me, I have tried my best. Also one has to agree, that these days, there's a shortage of good stories. One film works, the filmmakers focus on making sequels. Just because first one worked doesn't assure you the others will too. Some films are ever green and their sequels or remakes can't be made- like Sholay, Mughal-E-Azam. It's not something happening in Bollywood but across globe."
