Tata Sky Theatre is all set to present Badal Sarkar’s popular play Pagla Ghoda in a televised manner. Pagla Ghoda revolves around four men from different walks of life, and their conversation at the funeral of an unknown woman. As they sit at the crematorium ground, discussing the mystery of the young woman’s death, secrets from their own past gradually come to the fore. Actor Vikram Kochhar, who plays the role of Shashi shares his experience shooting for this play.
How was your experience shooting the play? What were the challenges that you faced?
The experience was brilliant because both shooting and rehearsals were fun. There was too much research on the set. The challenge was there was no retake to keep the essence of Theater. Since it is a classic play, we experimented with various perspectives. So, the responsibility to keep the script unimpaired was on both the artist as well as the director. We had to make sure that we televise the play by not losing the whole meaning of the Theater.
Any preparation you did for the character?
Since I am from Delhi, I have a Punjabi accent, and the story featured in the backdrop of Kolkata. Therefore, I had to adapt to a Bengali character. I had to work on my dialect to bring the Bengali essence. Also, I generally prepare a backstory for every role that I portray that helps me nurture and bring alive the character.
Who has been your inspiration in till date?
Honestly, I never had one person who was my inspiration. Throughout my journey as an actor, I met a lot of people who inspired me in their way. Even though Theater happened to me by accident and because of my failure, I met people who brought me closure to the acting and the film industry.
What lesson have you learned in the industry?
As an actor, I used to flow too much into a character. When I did a few plays, they asked me to control my flow. I started working on balancing my energy and flow. As it is rightly said, Theater is an actor’s medium, and therefore this is where I learned to harness that flow. There was also a phase where I did not see any play as I believed that I might adopt their acting style. Eventually, I overcame that insecurity and learned to keep my work separate.
Any messages for your fans?
I have seen people stereotype actors once they perform an extra-ordinary role. I want them to stop that and be open to his/her versatility. Accept all the surprises that an actor wants to present and let them explore their acting skills.
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