In his 36-year career, there’s hardly a platform that Rajat Kapoor has left unexplored as an actor. A stage and film veteran, and a TV artiste, the three-time National Award-winning filmmaker-actor, who is well-known for movies like Raghu Romeo, Mixed Doubles and Mithya, will next be seen in the Bengali web-series Shobdo Jobdo, where he plays an author. The series, directed by Sourav Chakraborty, is streaming on Hoichoi since February 21. We had an interesting chat with Kapoor on his future projects and more. Excerpts:
You just turned 59 this month. How has the journey been so far?
It has been phenomenal. I am so grateful for what I have been able to do and in my head, I still remember the 14-year-old kid who just dreamt of making a certain kind of cinema.
Do you think the age of content has finally arrived in Bollywood?
Not at all. It is the same formula packaged differently. Earlier, they were making films about urban romance, now it is all small-town stories. The quality of writing hasn’t changed, neither has the mainstream idea of filmmaking.
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Tell us about your latest film, RkRkay?
RkRkay is about a filmmaker, played by me, who is making a film which he is also acting in, and then something goes wrong. The cast also comprises Mallika Sherawat, Kubbra Sait and Ranvir Shorey.
You share a great professional and personal bond with Ranvir Shorey.
Yes, he and Vinay Pathak are two of my dear friends from the industry. I auditioned Ranvir for Mixed Doubles, and since then, we have worked in many films together including Mithya, Fatso and now, RkRkay. Both he and Vinay have incredible acting instincts and a deep understanding of situations and characters.
Among the current crop of actors, who is your favourite?
I like Vicky Kaushal. Four years back, I read him a script, which he loved, but we couldn’t get the funds as he was not a big enough star. And now, he is too big a star with possibly no time. I also love Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Rajkummar Rao.
Which medium do you like working for the most — films, television, theatre or web?
Definitely, films and theatre.
Any new theatre projects lined up?
Currently, I am doing four plays — Hamlet The Clown Prince, Nothing Like Lear, What’s Done Is Done based on Macbeth and As You Like It. There’s a new play that will open in July and again, it’s with clowns, but it’s an improvised script. The plot is around pain and loss. The cast will include Vinay Pathak, Neil Bhoopalam, Aadar Malik and Mallika Singh, and possibly Naseeruddin Shah, which will be just great.
After Aparna Sen’s Iti Mrinalini (2010), you will now be in a Bengali web-series again. What made you say yes to Shobdo Jobdo?
It’s a great role, and the script seemed really interesting.
Any other series you are working on?
I just did a small role in a 10-episode web series, Scam, by Hansal Mehta, based on the Harshad Mehta scam. I play a CBI officer there.
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