A ROLE IN A FILM AFTER SIX YEARS!

 My good friend Sambad Kumar (82), popularly known as Samji, the self-taught filmmaker, has produced and directed eight short films since he moved into Nana Nani, Phase 4, eight years ago. All the films were based on stories conceived by him and enacted by talented members staying in the community

When he offered me a small role in the film `ISAI`, I readily agreed. I don't like acting  on stage these days because of my inability to remember long dialogues, but playing character roles in front of a camera for a film is okay with me. I had acted in scores of plays in Tamil during my school and college days. I remember playing three-bit roles in the play `Saint Theagaraja` staged by Matunga Dramatic Society (MDS) , which had several shows in Bombay and other cities. I had also acted in many other plays for Manavar Kalai Arangam and the Fine Arts Society started by a group of friends. I could not continue acting once I joined the high-pressure advertising profession. Though I had stopped acting on the stage, that did not stop me from accepting roles in short films or advertising shorts produced by friends. I enjoy working in films because of the possibility of retakes until you get the act right.

I was excited because I was going to act in a film after 6 years. The last one was a three-minute promo film titled ` Not Out` for a web series, centred around funny stories based on the lives of senior citizens, in which I was to play the central character. It was to be produced by Rajeshwari Anand, a very talented writer-director, who, along with her cinematographer husband Anand, had produced scores of advertising and telefilms for my agency, Anugrah Madison Advertising. The idea was dropped because of the pandemic and the uncertainty that followed.

The short film ISAI is based on the life of a talented Carnatic singer and his inability to get chances to sing in Sabhas until a good Samaritan, in the form of a popular Vidwan, helps him get one in a Sabha. The Sabha President, earlier, had refused to give the poor artist a chance without getting a donation from him. I played the role of the aggressive and arrogant Sabha President. It was a small role, but it offered me an opportunity to display my talent as a character actor. The success of the film and the appreciation I have received for living the role ( not just acting)  has made my day.