From romantic to serious, we’ve often seen Bollywood actors play varied roles on-screen. However, there are a few actors who are well-known for certain roles they play. For instance, actor Manoj Pahwa is known for his impeccable comic timing. But the actor enjoys playing serious roles too.
In a recent interview, the ‘Article 15’ actor said that he feels thrilled that filmmakers are taking the chance to cast him in varied characters. The actor, who is earning applause for his role in ‘A Suitable Boy,’ was quoted saying by HT,
“This industry creates a perception of actors and stereotypes them into certain kinds of roles. It happens to most of us. I won’t say that for web and theatre though. Not everyone wants to think beyond the set perception, they’re like ‘arrey inko comedy aati, unko tragedy aati hai toh waise hi role de do’.”
Pahwa mentioned how for years he was offered only comic roles. Even though the actor has nothing against such characters, he admits craving for variety.
“People think I suit such comic characters given the way I look. I think it happens with most actors, who’re overweight. And I had to take up many such roles to survive. As an actor, I wanted to continue working and also, in a city like Mumbai it isn’t easy to settle down with family and lead a decent life.”
Pahwa says he is grateful for people who show faith in him and offer him varied roles. In even mentioned his friend, filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, who offered him the role of an emotional and supportive brother in his film ‘Mulk’. He said,
“Even when people told Anubhav to not cast me in that role in Mulk, he went ahead. In fact, he gave me a negative role in the TV show Sea Hawks and that too 20 years ago. People forget that I’m an actor and have no limitations. Rather, my craft has been limited by the offers I get.”
The actor opined that digital mediums usually don’t typecast actors and offer them more room for experiment. He said, “Web gives you a lot more liberty. I’ve also seen a number of web series during the lockdown and really liked them.”
From making us laugh to portraying a negative character, the actor is surely a talented man.