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From
pulpit to Parliament
What happened to your
ambitious Gita Rahasya on Doordarshan?
Well, for now it’s off the air. I was busy contesting the elections
from Madhya Pradesh. I contested against Digvijay Singh’s brother.
I lost. The machinery always wins (laughs).
I thought you were thoroughly disenchanted
with politics?
I’m not disenchanted with politics. But sometimes I do get the feeling
that one is only remembered during the campaigns for elections. But Parliament,
after I won from Jamshedpur, was a good experience. The machinery surrounding
it was another matter. One wanted to be useful for various party activities
and just during elections. I thought my image could’ve been used
to create social awareness. But this wasn’t done.
| Nitish Bharadwaj’s social consciousness has taken him from one end of the world to another. Deified as Krishna in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat and crucified as a Parliamentarian who always went beyond the prescribed call of duty, Nitish’s life and career are caught in turbulent cross-currents of illusion and fact. On one hand he’s proud to be branded as the only mythological hero in Mumbai. On the other hand, he cuts through the haloed heroic humbug to place cold hard facts before a nation on the verge of damnation. In person, Nitish Bharadwaj is soft-spoken and unonstentatious, not prone to outbursts of ornate rhetorics that we heard him indulge in during his long stint as Krishna in Mahabharat and now in Vishnu Puran. |
So what prompted you to try your
hand at elections again?
I thought it would give me a platform. When I was in parliament I could
address myself to issues that were close to my heart. I agree the issues
that I raised weren’t taken seriously. There was no follow-up to
the issues that I raised in Parliament. Like China and the US’s involvement
in India and women’s atrocities. For the latter I had to address
myself to the people on television by making a serial Apradhi.
But I believe the serial didn’t have much of an impact.
That isn’t true. Even today, STAR Plus gets feedback on the serial.
I feel STAR Plus fell short of their commitment. They give more importance
to soaps than a serial like Apradhi which addressed itself to serious
social issues. To say that Apradhi didn’t create an impact is wrong.
I intend to revive the serial at some point of time.
It seems the only motive for putting up Apradhi on STAR Plus was to
provide competition for Suhaib Ilyasi’s India’s Most Wanted.
But my serial concentrated on social issues. Suhaib Ilyasi’s serial
concentrated on crime-related issues and unsolved cases. I feel social
issues need to be addressed urgently. Take the case of Deepa Mehta’s
Water. In our country, we tend to push social problems under the carpet.
If the film addresses itself to the problems of widows, we should encourage
it. I had seen a half-hour report on Zee News about the wretched lives
of the widows in Vrindavan. They are abandoned by their families. We need
to look such at problems in the face rather than turn away from them.
I think Apradhi did create a social awareness. Unfortunately 26 episodes
weren’t enough.
Do you feel Apradhi wasn’t allowed to grow?
Not just that. It was shunted from one slot to another. The repeat telecast
wasn’t announced. The promos were inadequate. All this proves that
the channel wasn’t committed to the programme. I spoke to STAR. They
said there’s no problem as such and that they may revive Apradhi
in December. But after that my phone calls haven’t been returned.
So how can they say there’s no problem? I remember how impressed
Samir Nair was with Apradhi. He even told my wife, that there was no problem
as long as they had a sponsor for Apradhi. And yet they yanked off the
programme! I’ve personally called Samir Nair innumerable times. He
never comes on the line. He never calls back. I get a feeling STAR is
no longer interested in Apradhi. So far I haven’t been officially
told not to send further episodes.
It’s a very peculiar situation. I never made Apradhi to make money.
I was committed to it morally and emotionally. Even today women pass on
stories to me about their personal experiences. I don’t want Apradhi
to die out.
There’s an interesting dichotomy in your career. On one hand you
address yourself to social issues, on the other hand you are known as
a mythological character.
I see no dichotomy between the two images. What are Gods? We look
up to them for support inspiration and correct direction in life.
But God doesn’t have a physical
embodiment. He’s an idea, not a human being.
In our Hindu culture God does acquire human form.
But considering the stressful times
we live in do you think Gods can really be looked up to?
Rama? No. Krishna? Yes (laughs). Let me tell you, there’s a vast
difference in attitude to our religion and culture in the mega-cities
and in the smaller cities. The way people in Patna respond to my (portrayals
of) Krishna or Vishnu is radically different from the way we respond to
them in Mumbai. The culture in smaller towns is still not adulterated.
The psyche is still free of cynicism.
After Mahabharat you made your own version of Krishna’s story
Gita Rahasya. Why?
Krishna was portrayed uni-dimensionally in B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharat.
The character was depicted from the Kaurava-Pandava’s viewpoint.
Because Mahabharat was their story, a comprehensive portrait of Krishna
was just not possible. I wanted to portray Krishna as he’s depicted
in the Bhagwat Geeta. Not just that. I wanted to co-relate his teachings
to real life.
Why was Gita Rahasya suddenly terminated?
Like I told you, I got busy contesting the elections. But it isn’t
as though I neglected Gita Rahasya. I had 25 episodes in the bank. The
problem was, the Election Commission issued an order restricting Doordarshan
from airing the serial for six weeks. I challenged this decision in the
Mumbai High Court. The decision to withhold my serial impinged on my fundamental
right to employment. So Gita Rahasya was back on air. However, there were
glitches and lapses in scheduling. One episode started late without prior
information. Another episode wasn’t telecast on Chennai Doordarshan.
When I challenged Doordarshan they had no answer. All they could do was
pass on the buck from one official to another. Finally I had to tell them
that I recognise Doordarshan as one organisation. I was paying the organisation.
It was Doordarshan’s duty to ensure that Gita Rahasya was properly
promoted and telecast. I was surprised by the attitude of the regional
Kendras. The Chennai Kendra informed me that its station director can
take arbitrary decisions about national programmes! I was forced to remind
them that I had a duty towards my sponsors. I wasn’t happy with the
situation at all.
Where does Gita Rahasya stand right now?
At the moment we’ve changed the slot to Saturdays at 9.30 p.m. —
the Jai Hanuman slot from June 2000. I have voluntarily withdrawn it for
now. The telecast bunglings were the limit. Doordarshan didn’t realise
that the Election Commission’s regulations regarding the telecast
of a serial applied when Doordarshan wasn’t an autonomous body. Recently,
when Zee Telefilms was ordered to take Mahabharat off the air they refused.
Like Zee, Doordarshan could have challenged the Election Commission’s
jurisdiction over the media instead of taking Gita Rahasya off the air.
I did tell them to exercise their judicial rights as an autonomous body.
But they preferred to comply.
How did Vishnu Puran come about? I thought you were keen on remaining
Krishna in the public’s mind for all times?
Yes. But then Krishna is one of the three main avatars of Vishnu. In Vishnu
Puran I play four avatars. Krishna, Parasuram, Ram and Narasimha. It’s
a challenge to me as an actor to play four roles.
You’re one up on Amitabh Bachchan. He played three roles in Mahaan.
(laughs). I don’t think it’s right to say that. All the four
characters I play are of different temperaments. As an actor I’ll
never again have such a golden opportunity to portray different shades
of mankind. I’m just an actor in the serial, which is produced by
the Chopras. So I don’t have to worry about anything but my performance.
Once Gita Rahasya returns how would you manage Vishnu Puran?
Two serials together is not much of a problem. I may have to put my political
activities on the backburner. But I’m quite charged by the idea of
doing Vishnu Puran. There are so many shades of emotions that I get to
project. I’m proud to be the only mythological figure at the turn
of the century.
In this millennium it seems like an archaic concept to have a human being
playing God. Do you see the characters you play as Gods in human form?
Krishna and Rama, I see them as avatars of God. But Vishnu is God. Playing
God helps me become a better human being. Whenever you experience good
literature you improve as a human being. Even mythology is good literature.
It gives us insight into human nature. Mythology needs to be interpreted
from a logical point of view.
Do you portray mythological characters intellectually or spontaneously?
It’s a mixture of both. The performance has to be spontaneous. But
the lines have to be intellectually understood. Otherwise they become
stale and pale. I win over audiences by making complex philosophy sound
natural and spontaneous.
But you believe that Vishnu has a human form?
I don’t. Today a lot of people question me about the existence of
Krishna. He did exist. Archeological and oceanic excavations have discovered
evidence proving the existence of his kingdom in Dwarika. There’s
even evidence of cultural and trade exchange between Sumer and Dwarika.
In any case I feel Krishna or Vishnu can actively contribute to my character
and the character of the nation. So why question their existence?
Do you have to live your personal
life in accordance with the image that you project?
That one has to. Every public figure has to conduct himself in a responsible
way. Whether he’s playing God or human being, whether he’s Sachin
Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan or Govinda, the public does look up to you.
Having played Krishna you have divine license to be surrounded by lots
of gopiyan.
(laughs) I have a little problem with that. Because I’m happy with
my Radha (laughs). The other Radha may have been happy to see her Krishna
surrounded by gopiyan. This Radha is not (laughs). This is where Krishna
and I part ways.
Is it a problem being good in public all the time?
No, not for me. Even today I have people in the villages regarding me
as Krishna. We may have entered the 21st century. But basic human emotions
and values have not changed. I have to keep reminding myself that it isn’t
Nitish Bharadwaj the person, but the actor who’s being respected.
But how does a Shah Rukh Khan draw the distinction between the human being
and the actor when he’s being hero-worshiped constantly?
There is a radical difference between film personalities and me. The Shah
Rukh Khan on screen and in real life are not too dissimilar. There’s
a universe of difference between the Nitish Bharadwaj on screen and in
real life. In my case the public won’t accept certain things that
are normal for other stars like smoking or drinking. They want me to hold
the ideals of the mythological characters that I project on screen.
Would you hold yourself back from womanising smoking or drinking if you
feel the urge to do so?
First of all, I have no urge to indulge in these vices. Hypothetically
speaking, if I want to, I have to make sure I enjoy myself within limits.
When I go to the discotheque people say, “there goes Krishna”.
Krishna disco jaate hain?
Haan jaate hain. Naachte bhi hain. Abhi new year’s party mein naache.
Bhavnagar mein raas lila bhi kiya. Woh theek hai. Even dancing in a disco
is acceptable in Mumbai (laughs). Why not? There also we have dance and
music. Krishna ko disco jaana hai yeh dekhne ke wahan adharm kya hota
hai. Someone has to keep a check, na?
What plans do you have for the future?
I plan to revive Apradhi and Gita Rahasya. As for my political activities
I never think of myself as a politician. I’m a social reformer. I’m
a socially conscious youth of India. I don’t indulge in the double-talk
of our politicians.
Subhash
K Jha