LIVING LEGENDS
How do you look back at your career? I ask him to set the ball rolling and there’s no stopping Shotgun Sinha. “As far as my career is concerned, I have had my own fair share of ups and downs. When I made my debut as an actor in the industry, every one asked me why I had taken to acting though I was from Bihar. I asked them why not ask me a better question in the form of “Why not from Bihar.?” To begin with, though I had the aptitude as well as the talent, I was not selected for the youth festival in Delhi. I was also rejected outright by the Patna Radio Station when I went for a live play when I mouthed the right words at the wrong time. They caught me by the ear and told me never to return”, he guffaws.
Shatrughan Sinha adds. “Though I had confidence in an abundant measure , it was the Pune Film & Television Institute at Pune which was then referred to as Pune Film Institute that imbibed in me confidence and oratory skills for which I am known for both in films as well as political career. I will always remain indebted to not only Pune but also the Institute both of which have made me what I am today though Patna is my janambhoomi and Mumbai is my karambhoomi.”
Shatrughan Sinha confesses that it was Raj Kapoor who was his idol and he used to see all his films avidly before he got the itch to turn an actor. “I did not think I would be able to become an actor because I did have neither shakal nor for that matter akkal and wasn’t even laayak to be a compounder though in my family, all my brothers are qualified practitioners of medicine.”
“When I made my debut in films as an actor, I decided that I would be able to stand out only if I am different from the rest or better than the best and hence adopted that as my mantra to survive.”
Shatrughan Sinha does not regret his stint in politics unlike some of the other actors who gave up politics and came back to Bollywood, like say Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, late Vinod Khanna etc. “I am proud to be a politician besides being an actor. I am of the opinion that glamor has limited power whereas power has unlimited glamor. Instead of just being tired or retired, I want to bring a smile on the faces of the masses not only as an actor but also as a politician known for working for his constituency.”
Shatrughan pauses for a minute and continues. “Not many are aware of the fact that though people say that I have a rich and deep baritone voice, when I was in the FTII, I did not have the kind of voice which I developed on my own. I worked on yoga exercises, deep breathing etc and succeeded in changing the texture of my voice. It helped me that I made it a point to try to know the content of the dialogue and also the situation when I am handed even over four pages of dialogues on the sets for delivery. I had also a good command over the language and that also helped a great deal in grasping the dialogues.”
Shatrughan has a grouse against the media. “There are times when even non actors are able to pull off movies, if only their roles are strong enough. And also vice versa, a gifted actor can pull off a movie even when his role is not great shakes. Yet it is sad but quite true that the media often judges an actor by his role and not by his performance. They fail to see the very thin line of demarcation between the role and the performance by an actor. Performance- wise, I think my best have been in films like Kala Paththar and Khudgarz, though vary rarely an actor is able to blow you away with a great performance in a great role like Dilipsaab did in Ganga Jamuna.”
Shatrughan confesses that though he was a perennial late lateef as an actor, after he embraced politics in a big way, he has definitely changed a lot for the better. Wisecracking about himself, Shatrughan Sinha adds, “While I was working on the sets of Manoj Kumar’s Kranti, he used to tell me that I was born as the third son in my family and not the first son Ram because I had arrived on the earth also very late.”(Guffaws loudly)
Talking about the actors of today, Shatrughan Sinha says that each and every one is good in his craft. When asked to cite a few names, he said that Farhan Akhtar is a star material and Irrfan Khan is a very brilliant and unconventional actor. “When I made my debut in films as an actor, I decided that I would be able to stand out only if I am different from the rest or better than the best and hence adopted that as my mantra to survive”.
Shatrughan adds that when compared to his heydays, when an actor used to have a definite aura and was known for a certain mannerism like Raaj Kumar or a signature gesture like that of his, today’s actors are judged by their personality in totality and admits that he does not have any film on the floors as an actor today only because he does not want to be part of films in which he will not be able to project himself at his best as an actor.
Shatrughan Sinha has an advice to people who want to earn a name as actors in Bollywood. “Do you know what ACTOR means? It is Action, Concentration, Timing, Originality and last but not the least Rhythm. You should learn to be original and not imitate other actors. Also today it is sad that though there are good actors like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, some actors mistake pehelwangiri for acting. When I started my career, I was able to carve my own identity and establish myself only because I did not mimic Raj Kapoor who was my greatest inspiration. I did not ape his mannerisms and hence was able to create my own style and prove myself.”
Shatrughan is glad that his recent biography written by the veteran journalist Bharathi S. Pradhan has proved to be such a money spinner that the publishers Om Publications have also come up with several reprints too.Shatru says that he is proud of his daughter Sonakshi Sinha, because like he inched his way to success both as an actor as well as a politician without seeking the help of any Godfather and became a role model all over the country, Sona ( that is Sonakshi Sinha for you and me) has been able to make it on her own without any Godfather and proved herself as an actor in her films. I am equally proud of my twins Luv and Khush. Luv is now planning to act and produce films whereas Kush is planning to take up direction in a big way”.
