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Farooque Shaikh made his debut as an actor some 32 years ago
in the MS Sathyu-directed classic Garam Hawa. Soon
to follow was an immensely successful romantic film, Noorie.
Although the following years saw him achieve moderate
success in a number of offbeat films, real stardom remained
elusive. Not that he chased after it. One can never forget
his wonderfully inspired performance in the hit comedy Chashme
Baddoor, which was to pave the way for his later roles
in sitcoms on television.
Some 12 years after he was first seen on TV, Farooque has created
a niche for himself in this medium, albeit more as a comedian.
For someone whose foray into cinema was not a planned move,
Farooque has indeed come a long way. The mantriji (minister)
of Star Plus' new political satire Ji Mantriji (Yes
Minister) took time off from his hectic schedule to speak
to our correspondent, Amar.
What
brought you to acting?
Well, it began with amateurish stage performances
in school and college. While in college I was associated
with the Indian Peoples' Theatre Association (IPTA) where
MS Sathyu was a senior director. While casting for his
film - Garam Hawa - he offered me a role which
I readily accepted and that's how my acting career started.
But, to be frank I did not actually intend to be a professional
actor. In fact, I am a qualified lawyer. |
Farooque
Shaikh with Varsha Usgaonkar in Alvida Darling,
a Metro Film-produced serial which used to air on Zee
TV.
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Do you follow any genre of acting? Would you call yourself
a method actor or do you go by your instincts?
See, from whatever little I have read and known about acting,
there cannot be a fixed formula in it. Nobody can justify
a particular method and call all other methods useless. For
me, acting is the assembly of various sources - my memory
of past experiences, my instincts, the feed I get from my
co-actors, the script and the instructions of my director.
I agree that when the method school of acting first gained
prominence it aroused a lot of interest. It was as if an intangible
thing had suddenly become tangible or come into existence.
But for me acting does not involve any hard and fast rule.
As against your innings in movies, on TV you seem to have
been typecast in comedy roles. How do you choose your roles?
People forget that I started my career on TV with a serious
role in Shrikaanth which was Sarat Chandra's autobiographical
novel. Even after that I did a serious drama - Aakhri Daao
- with Deepti Naval. I have never been conscious of the type
of role I'm doing or whether it is comedy or drama. My only
criterion for taking up a role is my gut feel on whether I'm
going to enjoy doing a role or not. I have also never craved
for a particular role.
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"Minister"
Farooque Shaikh confronts "bureacrat" Jayant
Kriplani in Ji Mantriji, the new serial airing
on Star Plus.
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Many
actors are of the opinion that comedy is the most difficult
part of acting. Do you agree?
It is not the most difficult, but yes, it requires
a slightly better sense of timing. Performing a comedy
scene is like narrating a joke. The joke may be wonderful
but if it is not narrated with the right flair, the right
expressions, the right timing, it will fall flat. |
How
do you work on your sense of timing?
One can't specifically work on it on his own. Your timing
by and large depends on the feed you get from your co-artistes.
The only way you can possibly improve on it is by striking
a chordant note with your CO-artistes and rehearsing with
them a lot more than you normally do.
Have you encountered a problem wherein your co-actor is
very poor at comedy?
It does happen that some actors have a problem with comedy.
At times, the problem is with the language and on other occasions
it is with the content. As a co-actor
I try to be as patient and supportive as possible. But cinema
is a medium where these problems are more often than not eventually
taken care of by deft editing.
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The
"mantri" tries to get one over the "bureacrat".
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How
did you prepare for your role in Ji Mantriji?
See, as a moderately educated city dweller, who is aware
of the political situation in the country I didn't need
any special preparation to enact a role like that. I think
all of us more or less have a perception about our politicians.
Moreover, I read a lot of magazines and newspapers and
keep a tab on current political issues. Beyond that, no
research has gone into the role. Neither has it been modeled
on any particular politician. |
What
are the natural instincts required to be a successful comedian?
Some kind of inherent flair and liking for comedy, the sensitivity
to imbibe the funnier and the more humorous influences from
the atmosphere, a good sense of humour, the ability and the
habit of playing with words and phrases.
Do you adhere to a given script or do you go beyond it?
Effective comedy is not possible without improvisation.
I or rather we improvise as much as possible within the broad
ambit of the script and the instructions of the director.
Many
of the greatest comedians have been scriptwriters and
producers of their own work. Wouldn't you want to be one?
No, no. I just don't have the temperament to write.
And being a producer involves too much of a headache.
Acting is more enjoyable. |
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Hasn't TV comedy veered more towards the slapstick in recent
times?
It has, no doubt. And that's because economics is the
overriding concern nowadays. I believe, in the perception
of the channels, slapstick is less unsafe because it tends
to evoke an immediate reaction. But with Ji Mantriji,
we've tried something different. We've gone for subtle humour.
We've pitched it at a less than 'loud' level and if this succeeds,
it should set a new trend.
For someone who has done movies most of his career, don't
you find TV taxing?
No doubt, TV involves much more hard work. We can some 23
minutes of an episode, which is about one sixth or one eighth
of a movie in one and half days. If we shoot a movie at this
rate, movies will get completed in twelve days. But again,
the economics of the medium cannot be managed otherwise. The
only solution lies in being selective about your work and
enjoying whatever you do.
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Who
are your favorite actors?
Frankly, I have no favourites. Whoever has done well
at a given point of time and has enjoyed doing that piece
of work has impressed me. Invariably I have found that
no actor or director can be an absolute perfectionist.
Actors who have been exceptional in one role have looked
quite ordinary in another. So I cannot think of any name
or names I can count as my favourites |
What
is your advice to aspiring comedians?
(Laughs). They should have a better sense of the language.
Without this one tends to limit his potential as an actor
quite drastically.
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