When Prakash Belawadi makes an appearance on the big screen, he ensures that he has the entire audience sit up and take notice. The veteran theatre artiste and actor attributes the reason to his strong theatre background. "I think most filmmakers approach me for stories based on real-life incidents, courtesy of my theatre background," says the actor. Now, Prakash, who has worked in films like Airlift, Sanju, Pathaan, and Soorarai Pottru, is headlining NCR—Nithari Crime Report—an investigative drama, yet again based on the 2006 Noida serial murders, which shook the entire nation. Indulge caught up with the actor for a quick chat.
Excerpts:
What made you take up the role of Inspector Vikram Mahalingam in the series?
When you work on stories based on real-life incidents, it's always a tad tricky. You feel spooked by the very idea that there are people who have been affected by those events, and you need to be cautious about what you are doing. The story can be seen, felt, and experienced differently by survivors of such incidents. But I believe that it is also the responsibility of society to reflect on events that happen around us, especially those that are bad, and take every effort to stop them from happening.
As an actor, is there a sense of additional responsibility that comes when working on a project of this nature?
Well, an actor is like a lawyer, and all characters are on trial. So as an advocate, you try to represent their interests. Actors should not behave as judges themselves and make a caricature of the role. You should try to play it as real as possible. If you have noticed in the last 25 or 30 years, Indian filmmakers have shown a lot of enthusiasm to examine real-life events. Be it NCR, Madras Cafe, or Airlift, there have been a host of films based on such incidents that I've been called to act in. I think they prefer actors like me because we hail from theatre background.
You said that it was an emotional experience working in NCR...
It was hard because the story was brutal. You may feel the horror of the story when you hear about it or watch it on television. But, when you begin to identify with the characters, that angst can stay with you for a long time. I think the responsibility of portraying real-life events is crucial because it shouldn't end up as an entertainment horror show. You cannot use somebody's tragedy, but at the same time, you have to make the film engaging. You allow the emotion to channel with the discipline.
Where do you think filmmakers should draw a line between the two?
I strongly believe that cinema is a director's medium. There are a lot of other people involved from the filmmaking side—cinematography, editing, sound design, colour correction, tone setting—all these are major roles. If you have a team that can do these well and a filmmaker who is sensitive about his audience, then it becomes easier for an actor to understand the role. One should not go with a black-and-white depiction of the character.
You have done a lot of films that revolve around real-life incidents. Which one did you find the most challenging?
I think the best film that way was Talvar because we were exploring unresolved troublesome cases. That apart, though I didn't have a full-fledged role in Madras Cafe, it was an impactful role. I was not a film actor then and was only used to backstage directing and lighting. It was challenging in that sense.
As you mentioned earlier, is it easy for you to portray these characters because you're a theatre artiste?
Well, I can recognise a pattern here. How can it be a coincidence that most of my films are based on real life? This means that there is a set of actors who are approached for films like this. There is an imagination matrix, where in the vision of the filmmaker, these characters occur for certain people. We, the theatre people, tend to live a role for weeks as we develop the character and reflect on it relentlessly before we go to the public.
What's your criteria to take up a film?
I make bad choices from time to time. For instance, during the pandemic, we had no money for two years, and I may have been guilty of accepting some bad films because I just wanted the money. Sometimes, you act in a film even if there is no money because you get visibility. And at other times, when I listen to a story, I think they're telling me a great script, but then what they do with the film is hurtfully stupid. It's not like you get it right all the time, but I've been luckier than many actors in getting reasonably good films.
Has the cinema evolved over the years?
I think there's a greater appreciation for good cinema sensibilities, and with OTT platforms, you bring in new audiences. The audience is not looking at cinema just as entertainment. I have reason to believe that people with greater exposure will begin to demand better and better cinema. There is another indication, which is a negative one. We are spending a lot of money to do rubbish projects and are recovering money because by pre-selling their films They do a lot of hype for these films and get it released across, say, 8,000 screens. I think we are looking at sunset days for such people because the audience will wise up to this. I think you need to make better films as you go on.
Do you also think that the audience has become quite sensitive?
Well... People reacted like that in the past as well, but it wasn't amplified like it is now done by social media today. Today, there are more smartphones than toilets in India. Everybody is outraged because they get a lot of attention to anger. It's dangerous, but I think eventually there will be an overdose of it and people will cool down. I think some cooling down has already begun.
It's been a while since we saw you in Tamil cinema?
I've been sounded out for another Tamil film, directed by Sudha Kongara. It's going to take off soon, I hope. I'm actually beginning to turn down a lot of films because I'm concentrating a lot more on theatre these days. I did a set of shows in Australia, 56 shows in Melbourne and Sydney, and 20 shows in New York. I have been touring a lot with my English play. Meanwhile, I've done a Kannada film with Ajay Rao, and I'm acting in a commercial Telugu project. I've also completed a film with Varun Dhawan in Hindi. I hope I will get other opportunities to work in Tamil or Malayalam. If filmmakers call me, I will definitely do the film.
Nithari Crime Report is currently streaming on Atrangii OTT.
Email: sangeetha.p@timesgroup.com
X: @psangeetha