On a personal note: Sanjay Mishra

Actor Sanjay Mishra talks to Governance Now about his journey from working in TV commercials to Bollywood

geetanjali

Geetanjali Minhas | March 8, 2019 | Mumbai


#bollywood   #Actor   #Sanjay Mishra   #interview   #personal note   #movies   #TV  


Sanjay Mishra, an alumnus of the National School of Drama, worked in TV commercials and serials before choosing to exclusively work in films. He has worked in Hindi, Telugu, Bhojpuri and Punjabi films. People love him for his comedy; and connoisseurs appreciate his versatility and finesse. Mishra received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his role in Ankhon Dekhi and the Best Actor Award at the Indian Film Festival Los Angeles for his role in the film Masaan, among other honours.

If not an actor, you would be: A musician. Definitely something related to the entertainment  industry, artistic and creative. When I came to Mumbai, I wanted to survive in this industry not as an actor but as working on anything creative. 

Acting to you means: Acting is my life and my lifestyle. I’m passionate about acting. This is what I’m meant for. 

Your most memorable role so far: My role as Hedu in Kadvi Hava. The message the film conveyed through that character left people thinking.

How has your long struggle to get work shaped you? It is an ongoing and continuous process and shaping me every day. 

You have been called an underrated actor. What are your views about the industry typecasting actors? My only answer to that question is: Bas itna hi.

How has the film and television industry changed over the years: Digitisation is changing cinema in every aspect. With the camera getting digitised, the entire process of film- making is changing. There is a technical change. Content-wise, content is the king. 

How necessary is prior training in the craft of cinema? It is all about how much time you give to think about the script, character, music, and observe people. More than training, it is important to analyse things. 

How does the social and political environment impact your creative expression? Not only my own creative expression but it affects the industry as whole too. It affects each and every one’s life in all aspects. 

What are the governance issues that matter to you the most? Since the time I was born, I see things are the same. There is no change. Bas baatein ho rahin hain. 

What can the government do to promote parallel cinema and low-budget films? We need action. If the government wants it can do many things. Like in Maharashtra, Marathi films get huge respect even though they are of small budget. This is a good thing. 

Your favourite pastime: Walking, playing the sitar and cooking. 

 

– As told to Geetanjali Minhas

(This interview appears in the March 15, 2019 edition)

Comments

 

Other News

How to become Gandhi: A new book chronicles an experiment

Becoming Gandhi: Living the Mahatma`s 6 Moral Truths in Immoral Times By Perry Garfinkel Simon & Schuster India, 264 pages, Rs 699

Saga of ‘An Ordinary Man’: Gandhi’s struggle, retold in his own words

I Am an Ordinary Man: India’s Struggle for Freedom (1914–1948) Edited by Gopalkrishna Gandhi Aleph, 456 pages, Rs 999

“Essence of Gandhiji’s Teachings”: Rajaji’s Homage to the Mahatma

Selected Works of C. Rajagopalachari: Vol. VIII, 1946–48 By Ravi K. Mishra and Narendra Shukla (Editors) Orient BlackSwan, 460 pages, Rs 2,575

‘Gandhi’s Spiritual Politics: Austerity, Fasting and Secularism’

On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, renowned academic publishers Sage have opened access to many notable articles and essays on the Father of the Nation. Here we reproduce an excerpt from one of them, well-known historian Amar Farooqui’s highly original and detailed article in

Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav, Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit launched

Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan Saturday launched the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav and inaugurated the two-day Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit in New Delhi. The summit aims to facilitate a seamless transition from the current education ecosyst

India retains 40th rank in the Global Innovation Index 2023

India has retained the 40th rank out of 132 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2023 rankings published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. India has been on a rising trajectory, over the past several years in the Global Innovation Index (GII), from a rank of 81 in 2015 to 40 in 2023. Inn

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter