Pankaj Kapur says asking for scripts made him a tough actor early in his career
Pankaj Kapur said that he was labeled a “difficult actor” early in his career because he insisted on reading scripts before accepting a role.
Veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor said that the long-held perception of him as a ‘difficult actor’ largely came from his insistence on reading a proper script before agreeing to a role. The actor explained that early in his career, asking for scripts was considered unusual in the industry, which eventually led to the label getting on board with him.
Kapoor recently talked about this issue during an interview zoom While promoting his latest film when the book openedin which He acts with Dimple Kapadia. The film is directed by Saurabh Shukla, who was also present during the conversation.
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Speaking about how this concept started, Kapoor recalled that it was when he moved to Mumbai after completing his training at the National School of Drama.
Clarifying the situation, Pankaj said, “When I came to Mumbai from the National School of Drama, and I started getting work, I was asked to play a certain role. I asked for a script, and they said I was a difficult actor to ask for a script. For years, it stuck because I used to say I wouldn’t work without a script and without knowing what I was doing in this given structure. A lot of people got frustrated with this, and they considered me a difficult actor.” Branded as.”
The actor said that during the early decades in the industry, it was common for actors to arrive on set without reading the entire script beforehand. Scenes were often delivered shortly before filming, leaving the actors to make last-minute preparations.
Describing the working culture of that time, he said, “In those days, no one asked for a script. Even the hero did not ask for a script. The director would say, ‘Come’ and he would go there, and scenes would be given at the last minute. They would just prepare the scenes and present them. Hats off to the actors who did that. My training taught me that without a script, without knowing my role, and without developing the character I had to portray, I could not perform. Was,” Pankaj said.
Kapoor also said that he never faced problems while working with filmmakers who preferred a structured approach to storytelling. He cited directors such as Basu Chatterjee, Vishal Bhardwaj and Anubhav Sinha as examples of directors whose working methods were in line with his vision.
Recalling an example from the popular television series Karamchand, Kapoor said that he once insisted on receiving the script at least a day before filming his scenes, which surprised the director at the time. However, he said that he cannot deliver a solid performance without understanding the material and the character he is portraying.
During this time, when the book openedstarring kapoor And Kapadia premiered on March 6 and is currently streaming on ZEE5.