The Test Case, the web-series on ALTBalaji is all set to stream this Republic Day, i.e. 26 January.
Versatile actor Rahul Dev, who is known for his performance-oriented roles in several Bollywood films will be playing a very prominent character, that of the Nayak Subedar, Kripal Bhatti in it.
IndianWikiMedia.com got into a heart-warming chat with the man wherein he talks about the need for women empowerment, the advantage that the digital platform carries today and much more..
Talking about the women-oriented subject addressed in the web-series, Rahul Dev says, “It is a fantastic subject, coming at the right time. With whatever is happening in the country and with so many minor rape cases happening in Haryana, the CM is more involved in banning Padmaavat, rather than booking the criminals involved. Hence I think it is a good time to talk about such a strong women-oriented subject. When I look back at my mom, she raised three children even when she was working. It was a double role that she did. I have lot of respect for women. I lost my wife unfortunately 8 years back to cancer. From then on, I have been raising my son as a single parent. I know how tough it is to look after family alongside managing a career. Women show so much of patience, love and attention. Women are actually stronger than men.”
“This idea of coming up with a series like Test Case rolled out when the President of India announced that the women should be taken into the Indian army. This story though fictional, hopes to encourage women of our country to come ahead and join the paramilitary force and later on get into the Indian army. With the Goveernment of India announcing that women can be part of the Special Forces for the first time in our country, we really hope this message is spread across through The Test Case,” he further adds.
Talking about his role, Rahul avers, “I play the role of Nayak Subedar Kripal Bhatti who is involved in tutoring the bunch of kids at the paramilitary forces. He guides them and hones their skills. In fact, the paramilitary course is so demanding that only two to three of them from a lot of 50 make it ahead. This course needs huge levels of endurance and dedication. I am happy to be playing a role that guides such people to get the best of skills.”
Rahul Dev got the opportunity to shake hands and associate with few such officers from the force. “I took tips from Mr. Yashpal Sharma who serves as the trainer of the paramilitary forces, and even got to interact with him. He helped me a lot in how to approach my character. I learned a lot from him. He talked about how closely the paramilitary officers and the high officers in command interact. He also told me that while it is essential to be shaven in the army force unless you are a Sardarji, in paramilitary forces, you are allowed not to shave.”
The ace actor expresses happiness that the digital platform gives enough room for creativity for actors. “Web does not have the time constraints that the shoot schedules of films have. They are shot exactly like a feature film. It is for the maker to decide when he wants to release it. Cameras, its setup are of the quality of films. Overall, web is a great medium to tell any story which needs longer duration. From an actor’s point of view, it helps to play a part for a longer period. I got to be in the skin of the paramilitary trainer, Bhatti for three months which is far more authentic a duration. We have the room to add things on our own and even give the director the needed inputs. Above all, there is no censorship on the digital platform. Hence there is no problem in bringing out the right emotion. The right language is needed to bring out any emotion. And at times in films, writers cannot use the needed language due to censorship rules. Hence the advantage on the web is that one can be far more expressive, with dialogue writers writing their points of view, and actors getting better lines.”
Ask him whether he is fine with the bold content that is on offer on the web and he states, “I cannot hold anything against anyone as this is an expressive world that we live in. To each his own, and I will rather talk about myself and not about others. For me, I am very happy with this series and am now contemplating taking more work on the web. However, I will not get into the sexual space; what excites me is that thrilling, edge of the seat concepts.”
Rahul, we look forward to your portrayal in ALTBalaji’s The Test Case.