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This phase will show us right direction for a better future: Nitish Bharadwaj
The lockdown period is a momentary pause, like a momentary recoil of a gun before it fires the bullet.
What’s keeping us busy in times of lockdown are numerous inspirational videos doing round on social media. One such clip is of Nitish Bharadwaj, who is best remembered as Lord Krishna of the epic Mahabharata.
In the clip, Bharadwaj plays Lord Vishnu and talks about how testing these times are and how they could be designed by god for a better tomorrow. HT City talk to the actor to get the context, and how is life in the times of Corona.
How are you spending time in the lockdown period?
Yoga, meditation (introspection), reading literature, listening to good music by masters, polishing my cinema skills with online masterclasses and cooking.
What are the thoughts that are occupying your mind?
This lockdown period is a momentary pause, like a momentary recoil of a gun before it fires the bullet. This is an opportunity to go deep within, both as an individual and as a society/nation, and introspect as to which walks of life, we are going wrong in. And, I am not saying ‘going wrong’ only from Covid-19 point of view, but overall. We must also accept our faults, if they spring from this ‘manthan (introspection), and correct them after this period, so that we (while we are live) and our children have a better, safer, healthier and peaceful environment to live in.
One of the ancient scriptures, ‘Shikshavalli’, refers to this as ‘Swaadhyaay’ or introspection. This ‘churning’ will show us the right direction for a better future.
A very thoughtful and relevant video from a mythological TV show is doing round on social media. Your take.
The particular video is from ‘Vishnu Puran’. I remember how Ravi Chopra and I had marathon sessions with the writer Ram Govind about using Lord Vishnu as the narrator, who is above board and comments on everything that we do as humans on earth. Both of us wanted to make the serial relevant for all times. That’s why the dialogues were written like that. I am doing the same thing with my Hindi play ‘Chakravyuh’, which is moving to its 100th show soon.
When u look back to your days of doing mythological shows and see them in today’s context how do you relate?
Man has not learnt his/her lessons. We are going more and more towards materialism at the cost of ignoring spirituality. We are forgetting the cosmic laws and that the only superpower is Nature. Even a small ‘karvat’ (small turn) by nature can destroy us. There was a time when Dinosaurs went extinct; if man doesn’t learn to respect nature, we don’t have a long enough existence. Catastrophes like COVID-19 should be seen as alarm for the mankind to correct its mistakes of the past and to build a better tomorrow.
From you understanding of ‘Gita’ and other scriptures what inferences you draw in today’s context?
I would answer this question with Covid-19 perspective. I would quote the very last shloka of the ‘Gita’ “Yatra Yogeshvar: Krishno ….” And say that there are a lot of honest, committed and knowledgeable environmentalists in the world who are warning us to correct ourselves. They are our guides, just like Krishna. All we need to do is to submit to their guidance like Arjun and act positively for a better future. If we do so, man’s existence will be ‘shashvat’ (permanent) and in ‘neeti sangat’ morality. We need to stop ravaging Mother Earth and respect her.
After ‘Kedarnath’, what’s happening on acting and theatre front?
As an actor I have some scripts for films and web series. Will utilise the lockdown period to read and choose something worthwhile. As a director after the success of my award-winning debut directorial Marathi film with Tanuja ji, titled ‘Pitruroon’, I have locked a screenplay for my Hindi debut. I am in talks with two producers, which will resume soon. I hope to release the said film next year.
