Gautam Rode Interview: Scripts and characters matter to me, not the medium!

Popular actor Gautam Rode started his career from television and followed it up with a small role in a film called Annarth (2002). In absence of good opportunities in films, he moved to television again and has been consistently delivering absolutely electric performances in a plethora of shows, ranging from fantasy shows to mythological ones. When filmmaker Anant Mahadevan offered Gautam a good role in his next film, Aksar 2 , he could not turn it down. As the film races towards its release on 17th November, BollywoodMDB correspondent, Mohnish Singh, catches up with the actor to talk about his film, his journey so far and much more. Excerpts…

Q. Tell us something about your character in Aksar 2?

A. I am playing an investment banker called Patrick Sharma. Once he gets an exciting opportunity and feels he can avail it to his advantage, but when he enters that zone, he comes to know that he is not the only one waiting to grab that opportunity; there are some other players also. Every character in the film is playing a game. Who ultimately wins that game is what forms the crux of the story.

Q. What made you give your nod to the film?

A. I have never played a character like this before. It is the first time when I am trying my hands at something like this. Patrick is a bit positive, but he is flawed also and is opportunistic. For me, it is a very realistic character. Why I say it is realistic because, be it on television or in films for that matter, the main character in either very positive or very evil.

When you are in danger, you first think how to get out of the situation and survive. You don’t think about what is right or wrong. So, the character which I am playing is like that. Aksar 2 is a situation-driven film. Circumstances are governing the moves of each and every character in the movie.

Q. You started your career with television and then made a crossover to films. After some time, you again went back to television and now you are back to films again. So, basically what attracts you more – television or films?

A. Wherever I get good work, I go there. When I was playing some very interesting characters on television, good films did not come my way. The shows which I did on TV, be it Saraswatichandra, Maha Kumbh, Suryaputra Karn, belonged to different genres and offered me some powerful, brilliantly written characters. Saraswatichandra was a romantic drama; Maha Kumbh was an intense thriller and Suryaputra Karn, a mythological show. I was also hosting reality shows in between. This period of four-five years on television was creatively very satisfying for me as I got an opportunity to showcase my talent through a diverse range of characters belonging to different genres.

Q. Were there no films offers in that period?

A. There were offers, but I did not take them up because I am the kind of person who fulfills one commitment at a time. I accomplish one project and then move on to the other.

I took up Aksar 2 when I was done with all my television commitments. I did not leave anybody in the lurch to come back to films. When I heard the script of Aksar 2, I found my character to be very unique, so I said yes to the makers. Scripts and characters matter to me, not the medium.

Q. Luckily, all the television shows that you chose to be part of were powered by great storytelling and garnered appreciation from many quarters; otherwise many people find Indian television very regressive. What is your take on that? Do you feel TV is really regressive?

A. I feel very lucky that I got an opportunity to play an array of characters on television. They were written and presented beautifully. Frankly speaking, it was a deliberate move to pick up roles that were powerful and different from what is generally popular on TV. I was also offered those kinds of (saab-bahu) shows, but I was very clear that I did not want to do them.

Coming back to your question whether or not television is regressive, I feel we need to weigh TV and films on the same scale. Both produce good quality and bad quality content. Television has produced a number of great content-driven shows but, at the same time, there are some regressive shows also. The same is with films; there are some good films and then there are bad films also. This ratio, however, gets up and down at times.

Q. There are many actors in the industry who, while going through a lean phase in their career, take up roles which don’t do justice to their craft. Would you ever pick up a mediocre role if things are not going smoothly professionally?

A. As actors, we don’t feel comfortable in mediocre roles. This kind of phase comes in an actor’s life when his family’s survival is at stake. When you don’t have proper money to take care of your family, you can go to any extent. If I don’t get into any such financial crisis, I will never do a role which I feel does not do justice to my talent.

Q. Have you signed anything else after Aksar 2?

A. Not yet.