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As Mr Walia of Kasamh Se and Mr Thakraal of Kyunki`85, Ram Kapoor is enjoying the best phase of his career. The actor in a chat with Kiran Mehta
The hours are definitely long. But I do take one day off every week. I was talking to my father the other day about this very topic. My father too is a very successful man in his own field – the corporate world. And we arrived at the conclusion that every person who excels in his/her field works about 18 hours a day. Moreover, for me, work is not a burden so there is no question of a burnout. When I work long hours, I still love coming back to the sets the next day. Our industry is so brutal that if you don’t have a passion for it, you simply cannot survive here. Television today consists largely of strong female characters. As a male actor, what is your take on that? In films, the hero is cast first and then the woman is cast next to him, someone who can compliment his character. In television it is the opposite — it is the woman who is given more importance because the audience largely comprises women. Yet, I have always been lucky enough to play very strong characters in a woman-oriented medium. So, I have no complaints at all. Yes, your character Mr Walia in Kasam Se has resulted in the spotlight on you. Kasamh Se has given me immense popularity. It has done more for me than I could have possibly imagined. The reaction of the public has been phenomenal. Even when I walk into a caf`E9 in London, I am recognised and stopped by fans. But don’t you think the Kasamh Se script is becoming a little bizarre of late? I wouldn’t like to comment too much on that as it is a creative call. But a daily soap is something that is long drawn and usually doesn’t have an end at least as long as it is doing well. So, in the beginning it is always easier to let the story make sense but as the show continues and it is prolonged, after a point it will obviously stop making sense. No story in the world can go on forever, but daily soaps tend to. This is something that all of us really cannot do anything about. As actors we have to make our peace with it and continue working. Moreover, it’s not something that’s peculiar to our country alone. This is a phenomenon with daily soaps the world over. If something better came along, would you leave Kasamh Se? I would never leave it as I am too attached to the project and I would have to see it through. It was said that you were not too happy with Ronit Roy’s entry into the serial – and that the two of you did not get along Any news about tiffs between the two of us is absolute nonsense. We get along very well. You have worked on both television as well as in films? What is the difference, if any? The two are very different from one another. In films, you can experiment more; you can research your character a lot and eventually become one with it. The luxury of time makes a big difference. In television, however, you are always battling against time. You can’t spend too much time on each scene and you have to work on many more scenes each day vis-a-vis films. So, are you looking for work on the big screen? No, because I like to concentrate on what I have at hand. I don’t think of the future and at the moment I have my hands full. Right now, I am where I want to be. Would you be willing to play a negative role? Absolutely. I think it will be a lot of fun. Manoj Kumar came on the TV show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai and praised your work. How did that feel? Manoj Kumar is a legend and it was a great honour for me to know that he appreciated my acting skills, and that he is a big fan of mine. He calls me pretty often and it’s always a pleasure to talk to him. — BNS
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With two serials on air
currently – Kasamh Se and Kyunki `85, you must be very
busy. TV stars like you work for long hours for years — are you
worried about burning out?