Smriti Kiran: I remember watching Gangs of Wasseypur at Dimple Theatre in Mumbai. Shahid Khan, played by Jaideep Ahlawat, was unmissable in that film. He was striking and he had you hooked. There was no way you were going to look at anything else in the frame with Jaideep in it. Not only the viewers but even the cast and crew of the film felt that way. Richa Chadha in her session for Dial M For Films said that all the female ADs went mad about him because of that one fighting scene. It took him so long but he’s here, and he’s fantastic. There were career flourishes after Gangs of Wasseypur like Raazi and Viswaroopam in the middle but Paatal Lok is the one that has firmly planted Jaideep Ahlawat in the nation’s collective consciousness – a decade long wait to get that one break that makes everything worth it.
Jaideep, aapke liye yeh saal behtareen raha hai. Director Anvita Dutt, jinki pehli film, Bulbbul iss saal release hui, jab hamare show par aayi thi toh unhone kaha tha ki Bulbbul ke baad jis cheez unhone sabse zyaada joy diya, woh ye thi ki she felt received by her peers. How has the industry reacted to your performance in Paatal Lok?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Industry aur audience ne bohot zyaada pyar diya Hathi Ram ko. I think they connected to him. Jis tarah se woh likha gaya hai, woh kirdaar, Sudip Sharma sir ne aur baaki team ne, aur jis tarah se mere directors aur producers ne usse parde par utara, mujhe bohot mushkil lagta hai akele uska credit lena. Koi bhi accha kaam jo screen pe hota hai ya life mein hota hai uske peeche bohot logon ka haath hota hai. Par bohot saare logon ne bohot pyar diya – industry se bhi bohot saare logon ne, bahar bhi bohot saare logon ne. I’m honoured and humbled.
Smriti Kiran: Jaideep, aapne ek interview mein kaha tha ki ‘Action aur cut ke beech mein art hai, lekin uske aage-peeche business hai. Dil se kaam karo lekin dimaag lagana mat bhulo.’ What did you mean by that?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Kuch bohot zyaada hidden meaning hai nahi. Par mujhe aisa lagta hai ki jo bhi aap ka kaam dekhega, jo bhi aap screen pe leke aana chahte hai, woh kahani sirf action aur cut ke beech mein hi hai. Uske aage peeche aap kya karte ho, for example, aap soye hue the aur aap bahar nikalte ho toh aap ko lagta hai ki aaj ka scene bohot hi emotional hai, rone-dhone wala hai, aur aap uss zone mein bilkul nahi ho. Nobody sees that when you don’t want to do that scene, or when you’re so happy and full of energy and the first scene that you’re doing turns out to be emotional and heart-breaking.
For the audience, the entire art, or the craft, is between those frames. Otherwise, uske aage-peeche actor, director ya art director kya karta hai kisi ko nahi pata, kitni mehnat karte hai ya kis tarah se tayyari karte hai, nobody knows that.
Woh screen pe hi nahi life mein bhi hota hai, kyunki aap jaise akele apne room mein hote hai and the moment someone steps in, your actions change, aap ka behaviour badal jayega. Now the action has started. Aur jaise hi woh aadmi aap ki life se ya uss room se nikalta hai, you go back to your zone, and nobody knows aap kya soch rahe ho ya kya nahi soch rahe ho.
“Designing dimaag se hoti hai, lekin execution hamesha dil se hota hai.”
Film jo hai woh action aur cut ke beech ka art hai aur uske aage-peeche business hai kyunki everybody is working for their life – roti, kapda aur makaan ke liye kaam kar raha hota hai. Par usme hi utna hissa aap ka bhi hai – chahe woh actor ho, chahe woh art director ho. Agar woh frame mein nahi hai toh aapne kitna bhi accha set design kar rakha hai nobody knows that.
Toh main ye maanta hoon ki woh action aur cut ke beech mein jo jeevan hai usko samajhna bohot zaroori hai. Uske aage-peeche is pure business.
Smriti Kiran: So, when you say ki passion ke saath kaam karo, apna pura concentration uspe lagao, lekin dimaag lagana mat bhulo, toh dimaag lagane se kya matlab hai?
Jaideep Ahlawat: It’s a thing about having the smarts. Just as an example, agar aap exercise karte hai aur kisi weight loss program mein hai ya weight gain program mein hai ya aap apni stamina badhana chahte hai, toh uss exercise ka ek set hai. Ya toh aap gadhe ki tarah mazdoori karte raho – aap ko samajh nahi aa raha hai ki usko handle kaise karna hai. Toh mujhe aisa lagta hai ki har insaan extra effort karta hai agar uske paas koi planning nahi hai toh. Jo planning hai woh dimaag se aati hai. Par jitne time mein aap ko woh planning istemal karni hai, woh dil se hoga. Usme dimaag lagane ki zaroorat nahi hai, kyunki aapne soch liya na ki aap ek ghanta running karoge aur aap ko ye-ye khaana khaana hai – that is your mind. But when you’re doing it, it’s all about the love that you put into it. Otherwise, aap ek ghanta bhaag hi nahi paoge. Woh designing dimaag se hoti hai, lekin execution hamesha dil se hota hai – chahe woh kisi bhi cheez ke liye ho.
Smriti Kiran: Barah saal pehle jab aap FTII se Mumbai aaye, toh aap ka kya plan tha?
Jaideep Ahlawat: To be very honest, kuch khaas pata nahi tha unn dino ki planning kaise karni hai, kahan se karni hai aur kiske paas jaana hai – genuinely pata nahi tha. Aur ye acchi baat thi ki FTII ke kuch log – ek toh aap ka batch hota hai, ek aap ka senior batch hai, ek aap ka junior batch hai, jo aane wala hai ya jo already industry mein hai – woh aap ke saath hamesha ek support system khada hota hai. Par mera apna ye tha ki mere paas bohot badi koi planning thi nahi. Bas ye tha ki ek baar jaake dekhte hai kya hota hai, kisse milna hai, kaam mangna hai. Kaam mangna aaj bhi nahi aata hai, mujhe aisa lagta hai. Kabhi bhi woh nahi kar pata tha ki jaake kisi ko bol doon ki ‘Sir, main ek actor hoon.’ Saamne wale ko pata chal jaaye toh bohot acchi baat hai, nahi toh baaton hi baaton mein bohot hi halke se bata ke… But woh forcefully kabhi bhi apne aap ko saamne wale ke upar impose karna nahi aaya, ki ‘Dekho main actor hoon. Maine ye kaam kiya hai.’ Woh kabhi hua hi nahi.
Jaideep Ahlawat at FTII
Toh shuruaat mein koi planning wala feel nahi tha. Jo jaisa aa raha tha everyday, jin-jin logon se milne koi bol deta tha, koi senior ya batchmate, toh jaake mil aate the. Aur bas baaki apne ghar pe kitaabe padhna aur apne sharir ko theek rakhna. Bas usse zyaada kuch ho nahi pata tha. Unn dino planning samajh mein hi nahi aati thi.
Smriti Kiran: Jaideep, aap ko jo apna pehla break mila, woh Aakrosh mein mila. Aur Aakrosh ki shooting ke dauran hi Priyadarshan ne aap ko ek considerable role Khatta Meetha mein offer kiya. Toh jab Priyadarshan jaise director ne aap ke upar apna faith rakha aur phir dono filmon ne aap ke liye zyaada kuch kiya nahi aap ke career ke liye, uss samay, as a new artist, aapne isko kis tarah se process kiya?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Bohot zyaada ummeedein thi bhi nahi, to be very honest. Mujhe yahi bohot khushi thi kyunki ek-sava saal ho gaya tha khaali baithe hue aur kuch kiya nahi tha aisa. Toh wohi ek badi khushi ye thi ki kuch kaam shuru hua hai jo logon tak kuch toh pohochega. Phir kaise bataoge logon ko ki aap kar sakte ho? Maine apne liye aisi koi umeed nahi paali thi ki ho jayega ya kuch bada hoga. Bas khushi thi ki kaam bahar aa raha hai aur ab logon tak pohochega thoda bohot.
Aakrosh mein bohot saare actors the: Ajay (Devgn) sir the, Akshaye Khanna aur Paresh sir, aur Pankaj Tripathi – multi-star cast film thi. Aur suddenly jis institute se aap bahar nikalte ho aur jis tarah ki film ki duniya se aap bahar aaye ho film cinema ko padh ke aur samajh ke, woh usse ekdum hatt ke tha kyunki aap ekdum hardcore Bollywood film mein kho gaye ho aur aap ko kuch samajh nahi aa raha hai kya karna hai. So, I was just happy that I got some work aur kuch paise jeb mein, jo aap ko thoda sa confidence deta hai.
Jaideep Ahlawat in Aakrosh
Mera ye manna hamesha se raha hai ki aap ki shuraat jo hai ya aap ka jo kaam hai woh pohochna bohot zaroori hai, ek baar logon tak pohoche. Par aap usko kabhi bhi halke mein mat lo, kyunki woh do scene bhi aap ke liye important hone wala hai, especially shuraati daur mein. Jab aap establish ho jaate ho, aap ki acceptance badh jaati hai, toh uske baad log aap ki chhoti-moti galtiyaan chhod bhi dete hai. Par shuruaati daur mein woh pakdi jaati hai kyunki log aap ko bohot scrutinise karte hai – ki aap ne kuch aisa kiya jo logon ko pasand aaya ya aap ekdum hi register nahi hue. Toh ye shuruaat ke liye – main hamesha jo bhi naye actor ya jo bhi log aate hai, koi bhi puchta hai toh main hamesha ye bolta hoon – auditions ko kabhi bhi halke mein mat lena. If you don’t feel like doing it, don’t do it. Saamne wale ko bol do ki ‘Sir, main kal karlunga ya parson karlunga,’ kyunki woh audition bhi ho sakta hai ki chaar jagah circulate ho jaaye, pohoch jaaye logon ke paas. Toh woh jo shuruaati daur hota hai woh bohot crucial hota hai, kyunki aap basically apni neev bana rahe hote ho. Chaar kaam ikhatte hue toh kisi ko lagega ki ‘Haan, isne chaar alag-alag tarah ke kaam kiye hai. Ab isko kuch bada de sakte hai.’
Aur isme sabki journey alag-alag hone wali hai. Main apne experience bol raha hoon. Mujhe unn do filmon ka kabhi dukh nahi hua ki isse bohot bada stardom nahi mila. Main iss baat se hi bohot khush tha unn dino mein ke kam-se-kam kuch toh, chahe chaar scene hi kyun na pohoche, pohoche ki haan hai ye aadmi aur kuch ho raha hai.
Smriti Kiran: Aap ka auditions ke saath ek experience raha hai na? Kahin pe ek audition tha jisko aap ne easily le liya tha.
Jaideep Ahlawat: Haan, maine ek bohot bura audition de diya tha! Unhone mujhe kuch script di, aur mujhe woh badi ajeeb lagi. Toh I was like, ‘Chalo main line bol deta hoon. Kya dikkat hai.’ It went so bad. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know that the person (who was conducting the audition) developed a perception about my acting skills.
“The same casting director was also casting for Aakrosh, on the same day. Usme exactly do line hi thi.
After a few months, somebody from my batch suggested my name for another film to the same guy. And he said, ‘Nahi, nahi, yaar. Bohot ganda actor hai. Mujhe nahi karna uske saath kaam.’ My batchmate was like, ‘Jaideep ganda actor hai?’ Woh process nahi kar paa raha hai iss baat ko. ‘Aisa ho hi nahi sakta. Ek baar tum isse ye line padhwa ke dekho. Yeh alag hai kuch. Ek baar usko bolo tayyari karke de.’ Somehow, my friend convinced that guy. Usne mujhe woh script bheji. I really liked it, full dedh page ki script. Maine padha woh aur maine usse kaha, ‘Mujhe do din de. Main wapas aata hoon.’ When I auditioned for that, woh camera band karke baith gaya, bola, ‘Bhai, baith ja, chai peete hai.’ And he himself told me that story ki, ‘Mujhe laga tha ki bohot hi kamzor actor hai; iska aaj ke baad main kabhi audition nahi lunga. Main genuinely aap se bolta hu ki sorry uss feeling ke liye.’ That was a lesson for me ki karna chahiye tha. Uski koi galti nahi hai. Because I did something wrong, uska toh normal hai na perception banna. The story was for me; the learning was for me ki aisa nahi karna hai; agar nahi mann hai toh bol do saamne wale ko ki ‘Sir, ek din de do, chaar ghante de do – kuch toh do.’ Aur phir bhi nahi mann hai chhod do, mat karo – kyun karna hai phir aapko? We laughed about it later.
Smriti Kiran: Ye film ki kya aapne phir?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Nahi. Casting director the woh. Woh jo film jiske liye maine audition diya woh bani hi nahi phir. The same casting director was also casting for Aakrosh, on the same day. He said, ‘Bhai, agar do line iski bhi bol doge toh mazaa aa jayega!’ Toh usme exactly do line hi thi, Aakrosh wale mein.
Phir Aakrosh mili, aur phir Aakrosh ke set pe kuch 15-20 din baad Priyadarshan sir ne mujhe bulaya aur bole ki, ‘Main ek film kar raha hoon, with Akshay and his production, multi-starrer film hai, and I want you to play one role in it, if you’re okay with it. It’s a go from my side. Now it’s your choice.’ I was on cloud nine, matlab set pe hi itna bada director mujhe kaam de raha hai. I was super happy about it.
Smriti Kiran: Initially kya hota hai ki bohot saari filmon ke liye audition kiya jaata hai aur everything doesn’t work out. For example, Ishqiya and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai didn’t work out. Uss samay jab aisa hota hai, jab do filmein haath se nikal jaati hai aur phir jaa kar kaafi appreciate hoti hai, tab kaisa lagta hai? How do you process that when you’re a young actor and you would have really liked those opportunities for yourself?
Jaideep Ahlawat: It depends from person to person. For me, speaking from my experience, I never looked back like that. I was like, ‘Haan, Ishqiya ek acchi opportunity thi, working with Naseer sir.’ It was also at that time when I had just passed out of FTII, jab samaan bhi shift nahi hue the Bombay properly. Same with Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and a few others. But I never looked back at it with the sense of loss ki ‘mujhe woh filmein nahi mili and I’m so sad.’ That never happened to me because I was like, ‘It’s okay. It’s a part of life.’ Aisa nahi hai ki woh aap ko har baar milne wala hai. Woh bohot pehle SSB (Service Selection Board) ne sikha diya tha.
“Army wale field ko lekar dedicated ho, I think jo honesty thi, woh transfer hui yun ki yun uss space se theatre space mein.”
Indian Army ke liye jab SSB dete the toh ek SSB mein aap ke hi batchmates mein se koi Bhopal gaya hua hai, koi kahin aur – aapke hi shehar ke log hai; aapke senior-junior log hai. Rohtak mein aisa hota tha ki kyunki har 6 mahine mein SSB hoti hai toh generally uss 6 mahine mein minimum 50-150 log same jagah se, ussi university, ussi space se, kahin ka kahin SSB dene jaate the aur koi na koi toh select hoke aata hi tha. Woh jo hai na ki aap ka jab hona hoga tabhi hoga, baaki log select ho rahe hai toh iska matlab yeh nahi hai ki aap rone-dhone pe baith jao ya usko leke aap maatha hi peet te rahoge, ‘Arre yaar, mera kyun nahi ho raha!’ That’s a part of life. Toh woh pehle seekh chuka tha.
Woh khatam hone ke baad, jab woh nahi hua, uske wajah se theatre shuru hua aur baadme acting life mein aayi. Toh it’s okay: woh gaye, koi baat nahi, kuch aur aana tha. Woh sab likha hai maathe pe.
Smriti Kiran: Aap army mein jaana chahte the. Phir woh hua nahi, aur ekdum se aap ne 360 turn li aur acting karne lage. Parents ka aur family ka kya reaction tha? What is this odd turn that you took?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Mera stage pe jo experience raha hai woh bachpan se hi raha hai. Bachpan se school mein jab Bal Sabha hoti thi shaniwar ko. Ya koi bahar se aa gaya, koi personality pohoch gaya school mein, ya gaon ka koi sarpanch aa gaya, koi function hota tha toh mera number pad jaata tha; ya speech sunane mein ya prarthana karwane mein toh uske baad jab college mein aaye toh shuruaati daur mein, on-stage Haryanvi dance karna ya Hindi ya Urdu poetic recitation competitions mein jaana.
Toh stage pe jaane ka jo anubhav tha woh tha. Par acting on stage was nowhere in mind kyunki aap army wale field ko lekar dedicated ho – aur woh har 6 mahine mein hota tha kyunki written exam bhi hai aur phir SSB bhi hai toh saal mein do baar toh hona hi hota hai. I think jo honesty thi, woh transfer hui yun ki yun uss space se iss space mein. Jahan tak stage pe ya iss tarah ki activities mein participate karne ki baat thi, gharwale already used to the kyunki chaar-paanch saal se karta hi tha – acting nahi karta tha lekin baaki cheezein chalti rehti thi.
Jaideep Ahlawat on stage
Lekin jab ye hua ki Film Institute join karna hai, tab tak main M.A. kar chuka tha aur mere batch ke sabhi log kuch na kuch kar hi rahe the. I was also lucky enough ki kuch badi responsibility mere sar pe nahi thi ki ghar chalana hai aur aisa kuch karna hai jo bohot saare logon ki ho sakti hai; I was quite lucky ki mere paas koi parivarik zimmedariyan nahi thi bavjood ke ghar ka bada ladka main hoon. Suddenly, maine jab papa ko bola toh unhone mujhe kisi cheez ke liye mana nahi kiya hai, woh bole, ‘Accha kya hota hai vahan pe?’ Maine kaha, ‘Acting sikhate hai do saal tak,’ kyunki mujhe bhi kuch khaas pata nahi tha. FTII ka acting course mere se just pehle wale batch mein firse shuru hua hai. Isse pehle acting batch tha hi nahi 20-25 saal tak. Toh naya-naya uski baat dobara se uthi thi toh maine unko bataya ki aise-aise log vahan se padhe hue hai, uss jagah se. Then he said, ‘Okay, chal karke dekh le kya hota hai. Tera mann hai?’ Maine kaha, ‘Haan.’ ‘Chalo jao.’ Toh uss hisaab se lucky raha kyunki bohot se logon ko ye mauka nahi milta hai, nahi kar paate hai – kisi bhi kaaran, koi bhi zimmedari rahi ho ya koi bhi majboori rahi ho.
Acting as a profession jo hai woh FTII ke second year mein zyaada dimaag mein baitha. First year tak toh ye tha ki usko hi karne mein mazaa aata tha. Chalo dekh ke aate hain. The first six months in FTII are always a combined course – you are studying cinema; you’re studying direction, sound, editing, everything except acting. Kuch samajh nahi aa raha tha because you’re watching world cinema. I still remember that on the first day, when we reached FTII, everybody was interacting with you since you’re new to the institute, and we also watched Rashomon (by Akira Kurosawa). I was like, ‘Kya tha ye? Kaun hai ye log? Kya chal raha hai?’ Matlab, kaun the ye log? Kyunki mera experience world cinema ko leke Arnold Schwarzeneggar ki filmein thi. VHS pe kahin dekh li ya DVD pe kisi ke paas padi ho toh dekh li. Kuch samajh nahi aaya. Aur ye chala kaafi time tak. Aap baithe ho aur screen dekh rahe ho aur subtitles hai because koi film hi nahi jo Hindi mein hai. They are all world cinema aur aap ko kuch samajh nahi aa raha hai ki kya chal raha hai. Aur aap bas jaake sar pakad ke baithe ho, ‘Kaun hai bhai ye log? Kya padha rahe hain? Kuch samajh mein aa raha hai kisi ko kya chal raha hai?’ I was like, ‘Galat aa gaya hoon. Kuch aur kar lete hai. Theatre kar lete hai usse better toh.’ But then seniors se baat hui, apne batchmates se baat hui; socha ki thode din rukte hai, 6 mahine baad acting course shuru hoga tab dekhte hai.
Jab acting course shuru hua, I went back and rewatched all those films kyunki tab samajh mein aaya ki ye kya kehne ki koshish kar rahe hai.
Smriti Kiran: Jab aap FTII se nikle aur Mumbai aaye toh aapke dimaag mein kuch aisa tha ki main iss tarah ke roles karna chahta hoon ya uss tarah ke roles karna chahta hoon, and then over the next 12 years those perceptions broke?
Jaideep Ahlawat: To be very honest, maine aisa kabhi apne aap ke baare mein socha nahi tha ki main isi tarah ke roles karunga; but kya hota hai na ki aap kuch logon se inspired hote ho, toh aap ko lagta hai ki aap ko apne aap ko iss space mein dekhna pasand aayega, because you have seen those actors and you’re being inspired by them and fantasize about them on screen. Tab bhi aur aaj bhi, aisa nahi kahunga ki woh badal gaya hai.
Vishal (Bhardwaj) sir aisi filmein bana rahe the jaise Omkara aur Maqbool – ye sab ka zone chal raha tha; Anurag Kashyap apni filmein bana chuke the. Toh aap apne aap ko uss tarah ki kahaniyon mein fit karne lagte ho. Maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki main pehli do filmein Priyadarshan sir ke saath karunga kyunki unki jo filmein hai aap ko lagta hai ki aap isme kahin nahi fit ho sakte; uss daur mein specially kyunki aap world cinema ko padh rahe ho, acting theories ko padh rahe ho, toh aap bhi kahin na kahin jo aap kaam kar rahe ho shoot mein – chahe woh apne doston ke saath ya apne batchmates ke saath hi kyun na kar rahe ho – aap ko bhi lagne lagta hai ki iss tarah ke roles mujhe zyaada milenge. But maine personally kabhi nahi socha tha ki aisa hi karna hai ya issi tarah ke kirdaar karne hai. Mera bas ye tha ki main bas jaake dekh ke aata hoon.
“Aap apni tayyari karke aayiye Bombay shehar mein, otherwise it’s going to be tough for anyone.”
Jab Priyadarshan sir wali dono filmein ki, mili, toh mujhe laga ki ye toh ekdum ulta chal raha hai maamla. Toh zyaada tension lene ki zaroorat nahi hai. Jo hona hoga woh ho raha hoga. Tum apna kaam karo, uske aage tum kuch kar nahi paoge.
Smriti Kiran: Aapne ye kaafi baar kaha hai, ‘Mere paas aage badhne ke alawa koi option nahi tha, kyunki aur kuch mujhe aata nahi hai aur aur kahin utna maza nahi aata jitna maza yahan aata hai.’ How does one sustain, Jaideep, both financially and spiritually when the offers don’t match either your talent or desire?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Ye vaise wali baat hai ki aap ki art hai woh action aur cut ke beech mein hai, baaki business hai. Koi nahi puchne wala aap se ki aapne itna accha character kiya hai toh aap ke ghar ki stithi kya hai – aap financially theek ho ya nahi ho ya mentally pareshaan ho ya nahi ho. Isliye main kehta hoon ki woh business hai. Toh woh aap ko sochna padega: ya toh aap apni tayyari karke aayiye Bombay shehar mein – aisa nahi ki aap uth ke aa gaye aur aap ke paas koi bhi financial backup nahi hai, otherwise it’s going to be tough for anyone. Abhi toh bohot kuch hai. Social media pe bhi paisa kama rahe hai log aur alag alag cheezon pe kaam bhi kar rahe hai – bohot saare platform hai kaam karne ke. Toh mera ye maan na hai ki itna zaroor kijiye ki apne aap ka aap dhyan aap rakh sake. Kahin na kahin kaam karke aap apna guzara toh chala hi lenge. Vahan dimaag lagana hota hai: kahan se itna paisa aata rahe ki aap survival karte raho. Maine aise bohot saare dost dekhe hai yahan, bohot saare jo jaan-pehchaan ke log hai, jinhone paanch-paanch saal tak sirf print shoot kiye: 50-100 photos khichwaye jo kahin kahin desh mein kisi magazine mein chhapenge aap ko pata bhi nahi hoga. Par usse itna paisa aa raha hai ki aap ghar chala rahe ho aur aap apne kaam pe focus kar ke aap koshish kar rahe ho ki aap actor bano.
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“Hum yahan aake gadha-mazdoori mein phans gaye hai. Jis din aap ko action mein khada kiya jayega toh aap blank miloge – bas dialogue bolte hue dikhayi doge, aur woh dialogue koi bhi bol leta hai.”
Everybody needs to find some way to survive. It’s totally dependent on your thought process – how strong your survival instincts are and the planning. Maine bohot baar boli hai ye baat: Every job is like a war, so start preparing yourself for a war. Don’t go there without your weapons because there is no point. Kaise ladoge agar aap jang mein nikle ho aur talwar lena bhool gaye? Maare jaoge jaate hi. Kam-se-kam talwar toh uthao. Thodi si kam dhaar ki hogi – koi baat nahi, raaste mein ghaseet lena usko. Par aap bagair hathyar uthaye ladayi mein nikloge toh aap pakde jaoge, aap maroge uss ladayi mein. Dusra koi chara nahi hai. Ya toh agar jaan bachani hai toh bhagna padega. Toh aisa hai ki apne thode se hathyar ikatthe rakho aur unko chamkate raho, unki dhaar tez karte raho. Koi aisa mauka aayega jab ek dhaar mein sab theek ho jayega. Par tab tak aap ko apne survival instincts ko dimaag mein rakhte hue dil se nahi dimaag se kaam karna hai, kyunki dil aap ko sirf kaam mein lagana hai. Uske aage-peeche aap ko har cheez par thoda sa dimaag lagana padega taaki aap pagalon ki tarah ek jang mein mat kudo. Maare jaoge.
Smriti Kiran: Khiladi kitni bhi pakki training kyun na karle, kitna bhi prepare kyun na ho jaye, kabhi aisi stithi aati hai ya aisa daur aata hai jab aapke hausle thode se kam ho jaate hai aur hatasha aa jaati hai. Aap ke career mein do baar aisa hua ki Gangs of Wasseypur (by Anurag Kashyap) mein aap ko bohot appreciation mili, Raazi (by Meghna Gulzar) mein aap ko bohot appreciation mili, woh dono filmein 6 saal dur aayi aur uske baad roles mile par Hathi Ram jaisa kuch nahi hua. Toh iss dauran kabhi aisa laga ki ye workout nahi ho raha, ye bohot time lag raha hai?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Sirf kabhi nahi, aisa bohot baar hota hai. Lekin mujhe aisa lagta hai ki maine ek cheez figure out kar li hai: Woh din ke hisaab se khatam ho jaata hai. You don’t take it forward to the next day. Aaj bura lag raha hoga, aaj shayad kuch hua hoga ya mann theek nahi hai. Koi baat nahi. Kal subah utho, jao bhago-daudo, tayyar ho, wapas jao, because there is no other way around. Koi logic nahi sar pakad ke maatha pakad ke baithe rehne se ki yaar kuch kaam nahi mil raha hai. Ghar baithne se toh vaise bhi nahi milne wala. At least chaar logon se mil loge, ek toh mann halka hoga, dusra thoda sa aap apne aap ko push kar paoge. Jo cheez nahi ho paa rahi hai, uske liye matha pakadne se, rone-pitne se accha hai ki aap bahar niklo kyunki jab aap ekdum sad zone mein chale jaoge, tab toh woh definitely nahi hoga.
Main logon ko bolta hoon – kai baar hua hai mere saath – mujhe har jo bada kaam mila, jo bhi interesting kaam mila, unke liye main kabhi apni taraf se approach nahi kar paaya hoon. Hamesha mere paas aaya hai. Main lucky hoon na. Par isme main ye zaroor maanta hoon ki aap tayyar the. Nature is waiting for you to get ready. Otherwise, kya hoga ki aap ko agar mil bhi gaya na toh aap sambhal nahi paoge. Main bohot strongly maan ne laga hoon iss baat mein. Mujhe aisa lagta hai ki agar aate hi mujhe Hathi Ram mil gaya hota toh I’m sure ki main ye nahi kar pata. Main uss daur mein itna understanding actor nahi tha. Abhi jis tarah se meri understanding hui hai script ko leke, uss waqt nahi thi. Aap apne hi zone mein rehte ho. Abhi aap ki jo dharnaye hai woh tootne lagti hai, nayi dharnaye ban ne lagti hai. Toh aap ke thode kapal khulte hai. Toh aap ko tayyar hona padega.
Jaideep Ahlawat in Paatal Lok
Main phir se unhi logon ki baat kar raha hoon jo meri tarah ekdum piche se uth ke aaye hain: hum mein aadhe se 90% log tayyari theek nahi kar rahe hote hai. Hum yahan aake gadha-mazdoori mein phans gaye hai. Chaar ghante gym karte hai aur phir saara din acche kapde pehn ke idhar se udhar karte rehte hai. Party karna. Nahi work out hoga kyunki aap kuch nahi kar rahe ho. Jis din aap ko action mein khada kiya jayega toh aap blank miloge – bas dialogue bolte hue dikhayi doge, aur woh dialogue koi bhi bol leta hai.
Hum jab ye kehte hai ki ye acchi performance thi, ye kharab performance thi, dono hi frames mein actor khade hai, dono hi dikhne mein theek-thaak hai, kapde bhi costume ne apni samajh ke hisaab se best character ke liye design kiya hoga, dono line bhi bol rahe hai, aisa kya hai ki ek accha lag raha hai aur ek bura lag raha hai? Kyunki uske liye koi feel nahi hai, koi tayyari nahi hai – shabd hai woh bas. Aur jab aap sirf shabd bolte ho screen pe, woh kahin nahi pohochte. Silence pohochta hai. Woh jo silence hai na woh pohochana aana chahiye. Ab woh kaise aayega mujhe nahi pata – woh sabka apna apna hai. Par tayyari behadh zaroori hai.
Smriti Kiran: Bohot zyaada noise ho jaati hai, jab aap acting kar rahe hote ho – bohot log advice dete hai ki followers hone chahiye, stylist le aao, ye pehno, iski party main jao, isko phone karo, and the thing is that that surround sound is very difficult to mute. How does one do that?
Jaideep Ahlawat: I don’t know. Sab ko apna-apna dhundna padega woh mute button. Par agar main apni baat karu toh believe me, jab maine acting as a profession pehli baar chuna toh woh iss shehar ke ya iss profession ke glamour ya chaka-chaund ke wajah se nahi tha. Kyunki mujhe uss stage pe chadh ke bohot sukoon milta tha, chaar ghante, teen ghante, do ghante rehearsal kar ke, uske baad mujhe bohot acchi neend aati thi. FTII jab aaye toh hamara poora batch aise logon ka ek group tha where 90% of them were focused about that craft – how you’re going to do it. It’s a craft you have to understand, learning toh poore life chalti rahegi but at least understand it.
Jitna bhi social media aur sab hai na, ye aap ko distract karta hai, because bohot saare logon ka aisa perception ho jaata hai, especially jo bohot young generation hai, unko lagta hai ki being famous on Instagram or TikTok is stardom. I don’t know – unko sahi lagta hai toh lagta hoga; par mujhe aisa lagta hai ki aap ek virtual world mein phans gaye ho. Woh chhodo. Hum apne doston se hi WhatsApp pe milte rehte hai. Hum phone karna bhool gaye hain.
Kya chal raha hai? Iske alawa bahar life nahi thi kuch? Jaise ek job wala aadmi hota hai na jo subah naukri pe jaate hai, woh aap ki ghar ki problems ko vahan nahi leke jaate aur jab woh office se shaam ko ghar pohochte hai toh woh office ki problem ghar nahi laate. Dono cheezein alag-alag hai. Itna hi maintain karna hai. Woh aap ki job hai, wahan jaa ke jo karna hai karo. Jitna bhi aap ko tikdame bhidani hai, jo dil lagana hai, usme dimaag lagana hai, jo bhi ho, jis tarah ki bhi aap ki job hai, aap woh karo. Lekin uske bahar life hai aap ki. Aur woh uska bada hissa hai. Aap ki zindagi ka ek bada hissa woh hai – usko mat bhulo aap. Social media ne woh khatam kar diya hai. Uski wajah se jaise hi kuch hota hai, jaise do din Instagram band ho jayega, main likh ke bata raha hoon log paagal ho jayenge. Kyunki kahin chale jao, khaana nahi khayenge lekin uski story zaroor daalne wale hai. Aur ye bohot social pressure ho jaata hai ki saari duniya daal rahi hai toh main kyun nahi kar raha. Sab log khaana khaa rahe hai, social media pe sab khush hai, aise kaise ho sakta hai? Everybody is so happy, everybody is enjoying, everybody is going out, or working out, or having great food.
“Mujhe aisa lagta hai ki aap ek virtual world mein phans gaye ho. Woh chhodo. Hum apne doston se hi WhatsApp pe milte rehte hai. Hum phone karna bhool gaye hain.”
Main kabhi tha hi nahi uss zone mein. Jab kaam aata hai toh poora lagta hoon. Jab Paatal Lok aayi thi tab har din pata nahi kya-kya chalta tha social media pe. Par mujhe nahi batana hai main din mein teen baar kya khata hoon aap ko. Mujhe koi interest nahi hai. And I’m sure aap ko koi interest nahi hai. Kya farak padta hai aap ko ki main kya khaa raha hoon? Koi logic nahi hai iss baat ka. Bura-sahi ki baat nahi hai, par main nahi kar sakta. Main din mein chaalis stories nahi daal sakta agar main travel kar raha hoon. Kabhi kabhi lagta hai, mann karta hai. Jaise, Baaghi 3 ke dauran hum Serbia mein the, toh daalta tha main din mein 60 stories, kyunki aisi jagah thi. Maine kaha sab dekh lo iss bahane.
Aapki life bhi bahar hai, usko bacha ke rakhna behadh zaroori hai. Usko bhi enjoy karna seekho.
Smriti Kiran: Jaideep, jab ek actor kaafi der tak kaam kar raha hota hai toh unki ek perception ban jaati hai about the actors who are already working. Ab casting mein ye considerations aa gaye hai ki social media following kitni hai, usko leke aao. That affects your work directly. So, how do you deal with this thing where you are capable of doing anything that is thrown at you, but there are people outside who are like, ‘Oh, he’s good at this, let’s just get him for something like this’?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Never thought of it like that, because I don’t think ki woh kabhi mujhe replace kar payega, aisa aadmi jo sirf social media pe hai. Koi baat nahi. Usko ek chance mil jayega, dusra shayad nahi milega. Main bilkul nahi sochta hoon, sach bata raha hoon. Aur mujhe aisa lagta hai ke ye sabko samajh aa jayega dheere-dheere. Koi badi baat nahi hai. Abhi hamare liye bohot naya hai ye sab kuch. Point being, ye baat sirf casting directors ke upar nahi hai – koi toh bolta hoga na usko ki yaar isko leke aao. Ab casting director is not the final authority to say yes or no, na? He’s there to make a producer or director’s job easy to give him options. If some producer or director says, ‘Nahi yaar, iss bande ke paanch million followers hai, koi nahi jaanta par le aao.’ That’s fine – their choice. Mujhe kya farak padne wala hai. Kyunki definitely mere liye toh nahi likha gaya hoga phir. Agar unki yahi choice hai, agar writing ka base hi ye hai aap ka ki mujhe five million followers ke saath banda hai woh chahiye, toh definitely woh mere liye nahi likha gaya hai. Usko milna hi tha. Mil jayega, koi baat nahi. Again, ye waisa wala hai: sarr pakad ke baithne ki zaroorat nahi. Aur agar aap ko genuinely feel ho raha hai toh phir woh karo aap. Phir aap badhao apna social media circle.
Main galat sahi ki baat nahi kar sakta hoon, main apni baat keh raha hoon: mujhe bohot mushkil hoti hai social media ke upar har din kuch na kuch post karna – main nahi kar pata hoon. Aur aisa bhi nahi keh raha hoon ki bhavishya mein na karu. Kar dunga, depending on the situation. Paatal Lok pe din mein pata nahi kya-kya dalta tha social media pe. Saara din vahan rehte the. Woh zaroorat thi kaam ki. Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai ki, ‘Haan, yaar, accha kuch chal raha hai toh isko bhi daal denge.’ Aur ho sakta hai aage woh bhi badal jaaye. Kyunki sahi galat bohot subjective cheez hoti hai. Aaj hoga kal nahi hoga. Kal ho sakta mujhe hi itna maza aane lage social media pe ki saara din usi pe kuch karta rehta. Aur latt bhi toh lagti hai.
Smriti Kiran: Aur ek taraf se uski kaafi acchi cheezein bhi hai. Social media pe toh honesty ki wajah se kaafi connection banta hai jo otherwise nahi ban sakta.
Jaideep Ahlawat: Bilkul. No doubt. Sab ka apna-apna mat hai. Woh Satinder Sartaj ka ek gaana hai: ‘Vahi peetal hai jisse hathyar bante hai, aur vahi peetal mandir ka ghanta banta hai.’ As simple as that. Toh aap ki choice hai ki aap uss cheez ko kaise istemal karne wale ho. Aap apni life mein uska bura bhi impact laa sakte ho aur app usi cheez ko bohot acche se bhi istemal kar sakte ho – ye personal choice hai. Sahi galat ki baatein nahi kar raha hoon main.
Smriti Kiran: Hamare show par Mira Nair bhi aayi thi aur unhone ek bohot behtareen baat kahi. She said, ‘Even though the doubt is strong, many times you have to somehow con the world into feeling that you have never experienced any doubt. That’s the tough part. You have to arm yourself with craft.’ How did you sustain in fallow times?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Jo doubt hota hai, bachpan se hi har human being mein hoti hai. Hum dheere-dheere usko bhul jaate hai, usko express karna bhul jaate hai, ya woh dimaag se hi nikal jaata hai. Baccha hota hai na… Ghar se cheeni utha li hai usne. Usko pata hai ki uske haath mein cheeni hai, par uska confidence itna strong hota hai ki jab usse pucho, ‘Beta, cheeni khayi hai?’ ‘Nahi toh!’ Aur woh itna innocent hai ki uske haath mein cheeni hai peeche. Ye itna sa hi hai. Itna basic bata raha hoon aap ko. Aap ko doubt aata hai na? Koi baat nahi. Pata hai doubt hai, koi baat nahi. It’s okay. Har din ek jaisa nahi hone wala hai. Suraj nikal ne se pehle shaam dhalne tak aap ke mood chaar baar swing hote hai chaar peher mein. Normal hai. Agar woh bhi sustain nahi ho paa rahe hai, toh aap ko lagta hai doubts sustain hone wale hai? Aap ko lagta hai ki bura waqt sustain hone wala hai? Agar aisa hi hota na toh hum bolte ki, ‘Yaar, college ke din bohot acche the.’ Agar the toh phir sustain kar lete. Nikal gaye na woh bhi? Aap phir kaam bhi karte ho. Bohot normal process hai. Koi bhi time ek saath ek jaisa nahi rehne wala hai. Ye hazaar jagah kitaabon mein padha hai lekin koi imply nahi karta hai. Koi nahi sochta hai uss tareeke se. Aap ke daant mein dard hai, pair mein dard hai, exercise ki, woh chaar din nahi rehne wala. Par iska matlab yeh nahi ki chaar din ghutne ko pakad ke rote hi raho. Pata hai ki exercise ka strain hone wala hai taango pe. Aaj legs ki hai toh pata hai shaam tak, do din tak, dukhengi ab. Par iska matlab ye nahi hai na ki rote raho. Koi baat nahi, ho jayegi theek.
“Abhi tak struggle sirf survival, ghar ka rent aur khaana-peena, aur accha kaam pakadna tha. Ab woh ho gaya hai, ab dusre struggles, dusre responsibilties aane wali hai.”
Mera maan na ye hai ki main kabhi le hi nahi paaya uss cheez ko. Koi baat nahi na. Ek time hota tha ki koi aapne film kiya toh aapke account mein suddenly paisa aa jaata tha; aur phir kaafi time tak kuch nahi kiya, aur ekdum minimum amount mein baithe ho aap, aap rona thodi shuru kar doge. Kyunki aap ko toh ye bhi pata hai ki jitna ye minimum hai, ye bhi nahi hota tha usse pehle toh. Usse aage aane wale time ke baare mein socho – jab ek daur aayega aap ko account ke taraf dekhna nahi padega. Phir struggle kuch aur hone wali hai. Agar aap ki fitrat rona hai na, toh aap kisi-na-kisi cheez ko dhund kar ro hi loge. Agar aap ka fitrat cribbing karna hai, toh aap crib karoge kisi-na-kisi cheez ko pakad ke. Jo cheez theek hoti chali jaa rahi hogi usko chhod doge. Phir kuch aur cheez pakad loge. Aur ye lifelong chalta rahega; ye nirantar rahega aapke life mein. Jaise mujhe bol dete hai ya kuch actors ko bol dete hai ki, ‘Chalo, yaar, ab struggle phase nahi raha.’ Chehra badal gaya hai struggle ka; kuch aur hone wala hai. Abhi tak struggle sirf survival, ghar ka rent aur khaana-peena, ye sab, aur accha kaam pakadna tha. Ab woh ho gaya hai, ab dusre struggles aane wale hai; dusre responsibilties aane wali hai. Aap ko lagta hai ki Shahrukh sir, aur ye sab log jo bhi bade naam desh mein hai (kisi bhi field mein chahe phir ho, main sirf apne field ke naam le raha hoon), aap ko lagta hai ki ek baar achieve ho gaya toh koi struggle nahi bacha life mein? Nahi. Agar woh sochte hai ki unke life mein iske baad kuch bacha hi nahi, toh aap ka jo personal, self-driven force hai woh khatam ho jayegi phir, agar aap ne maan liya ki bas ho gaya hai ab toh.
Smriti Kiran: Aapne kaha ki woh struggle badal jaati hai toh Hathi Ram ke baad jo offers ab aa rahe hai, kya woh aise offers hai jo aap ko excite karte hai? And now that everyone is paying attention, has the responsibility of what you take up changed?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Yes. That’s the new struggle: aap abhi kya karne wale ho. Ab aap jo kahani chunoge, ab koi aap ke upar force nahi karne wala hai. Pehle aap ki majboori ho jaati thi. ‘Yaar, aur kuch nahi karna hai, kam-se-kam yahi kar lete hai. Itna toh aayega.’ Abhi kya hoga ki koi nahi kehna wala ki aap ne kuch majboori mein kiya hoga. Sab ko pata hoga ki kyun kiya hoga. Abhi ye struggle hai: aap ko woh script chun ne mein, woh kirdaar chun ne mein, koi ek motivation dhundna padega.
Aur phir se wahi main, bada simple, basics pe leke aata hoon: aap ko aap ke kaam ke liye motivation chahiye hota hai, woh kahin se bhi aa raha ho – koi bhi kaam, life mein kuch bhi, chhote-se-chhota kaam bhi. Hamari maaen, behene, wife, jo bhi hai, jo bhi jiske ghar mein hai, woh saalon khaana banati hai aap ke liye. Aap do din bana ke dekho bore ho jaoge. Woh driving force kahan se aa rahi hai? Jo ek ma itne pyar se roz, beesiyon saal tak aap ke liye khaana banati hai – aur jab bolo tab. ‘Ma, bhuk lagi hai.’ ‘Haan, beta, bata kya khana hai?’ Aap ko din mein chaar baar koi bolde ki kuch khaana khaana hai, aap bologe, ‘Khaa lena, yaar. Sarr pe kyun baitha hua hai? Dekh le kuch.’ Toh driving force na itni basic hai. Aap ka motivation strong hai. Kyunki uss ma ka itna strong motivation hai, woh kuch bhi kar legi uske liye.
Toh aap ko apne kaam mein motivation dhundna padega – bohot clear cut hai. Mere liye kahani important hai, kirdaar important hai, director important hai, ya kaam bohot accha hai, ya phir paisa accha de do taaki mera muh band ho jaye aur mera dimaag chalna band ho jaye paise ki khanak mein. Itna paisa de do ki main sochu hi nahi ki iss kirdaar ka kya karna hai. Bura nahi karunga ye mujhe bhi pata hai. Hum FTII mein kehte the ye baat: ‘Simple tareeka hai: ya toh kaam accha do ya paise acche do. Dono bohot acchi baat hai. Matlab, woh toh kamaal hi ho jayega.’ Toh bas itna sa hi hai, zyaada tension nahi le raha hoon, phir se nahi le raha hoon. Par ye mujhe pata hai ki agar mere paas ek force hogi na, ek dil se driving force hogi, toh mujhe usme kaam karne mein bohot maza aayega. Agar woh chhoti koi motivation hui toh thode din baad khatam ho jayegi.
Smriti Kiran: Toh aa rahe hai acche roles?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Haan, bilkul. Bohot acche-acche scripts aayi hai. Aur percentage-wise bohot kharab-kharab bhi aayi. Agar main ye kahu ki 90% bohot kharab aayi toh 10% bohot hi mind-blowing aayi. Ab, ya toh woh mujhe kare ya main unko choose karunga – toh kirdaar bhi aap ko chunte hai aur aap kirdaaron ko chunte hai. Dekhte hai ye sangam kaisa bahar aata hai.
Q&A with Dial M For Films Participants and Viewers Watching Live on YouTube
Atika Farooqui: What does an actor do when they are not doing anything? Aap ne kya aisi cheez ki thi apne lull ke dino mein jo baad mein apne work ke dino mein bohot zyaada kaam aayi aur aap ne socha ki shukar hai ki maine ye cheez seekh li thi? The process of ageing is also going on side by side, waqt nikal raha hota hai. Uska ek actor ke mann-o-disha pe kya asar hota hai?
Jaideep Ahlawat: ‘We are not paid for acting. We are paid for waiting for the next shot,’ kyunki woh time bohot zyaada nikalta hai. Bohot waqt milta hai.
Mere liye akelapan ya khaali time mein pade-pade kuch padhte rehna ya bina kuch kiye sirf lete rehna bhi bohot interesting lagta hai kyunki mujhe aisa lagta hai ki woh mujhe bada shaant karta hai. Aisa toh nahi ki aap ke thoughts nahi chal rahe; kuch-na-kuch dimaag mein chal raha hoga. Toh unn thoughts ke aap sawaal dhundte ho, jawaab dhundte ho. Aap ne kuch padha hai, uski kahani aap ke dimaag mein chal rahi hai; unke jo sawaal hai woh aap ke sawaal bante hai, unn kirdaron ke, aur aap ke paas kya jawaab hai aap koshish karte ho unko de pao.
Actor kabhi khaali nahi baithta hai. Woh chahe kisi bhi jagah pe daal doge, mere saath ya mujhe aisa lagta hai ki bohot saare actors ke saath, do plane pe chalta rehta hai: jo bahar ki duniya hai uski ek aur ek uski andar ki duniya hai jo har cheez ko note bhi karti rehti hai aur khud ke liye batati bhi rehti hai. Aap apne liye hi ek drishta ho jaate ho, aap apne liye hi ek, kind of, third eye ho jaate ho, ‘Dekh, Jaideep, tu iss situation mein ye kar raha hai. Ab soch ye baat tujhe screen pe karni pad jaati toh? Kyunki aisa life mein beech-beech mein hota hai.’ And you switch it off and go back to your life.
Khaali time mein ek actor ke liye bohot zaroori hai ke woh shaant rehna seekhe. Ye bada ugravadi sa profession hai. Especially industry mein aake, hum bada hyper rehte hai har cheez ko leke. Main dull hone ki baat nahi kar raha hoon, main shaant hone ki baat kar raha hoon.
Aur jahan tak dusra sawaal hai, ageing ek natural process hai. Uska kuch nahi kiya jaa sakta. Kehne ka matlab ye hai ki kisi bhi profession mein, shuruaati daur mushkil hi hone wala hai. Aap ka journalism ka jo profession hai, main jaanta hoon kitni mushkilein aati hai jab ek naya journalist bahar nikalta hai ek shoot se aur usse pata hai ki uske vichaare blast ho rahe hote hai – pata nahi kya samaj mein badal dega, kya kar dega – because bohot uss mahaul se nikal ke aata hai. Aap IMC ki hai, toh woh institute jo thoughts deta hai woh suddenly jab dharatal se takrate hai toh mujhe aisa lagta hai ki aap ko thoda calm hone ki zaroorat padti hai. Aap ko lagta hai ki, ‘Nahi. Exactly waisa nahi hai jaisa kitaabon mein likha hai ya jaisa padhaya gaya tha class mein.’ Toh jab aap ground pe aate ho toh tab aap ki nayi learning shuru ho rahi hoti hai. Woh har field mein hai.
Age toh ki involuntary system hai, uska kuch nahi kiya jaa sakta. Hamare bohot saare actors aur bohot saare log hai alag-alag fields mein jinhone so-called aging ko apne exercise, apni unn cheezon se hold karke rakha hai. But mera maan na ye hai ke jab hum kisi ko itne pyaar se screen pe dekh rahe hote hai na, hum kabhi bhi uski umar dekh hi nahi paate hai, woh phir chahe hum kisi bhi umr mein kisi bhi actor ko dekhte hai. Humein kabhi Al Pacino buddha hi nahi laga; humein kabhi Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) sahab buddhe hi nahi lage; Sanjeev Kumar mote, bina balon ke kabhi lage hi nahi. Itna pyaar aata tha unko screen pe dekh ke! Toh woh secondary ho jaata hai. Humein apne maa-baap kabhi buddhe nahi lagte, hamesha utne hi pyaare lagte hai, kyunki unn logon se pyaar hai. Toh aise hi jab kirdaaron aur actors se pyaar hone lagta hai na, phir woh age bahar nikal jaati hai. Woh waise wali baat hai: kahani acchi hoti hai na toh humein lagta hai ki bohot khoobsurat film thi, sab ne accha kaam kiya; jaise film kharab hoti hai na, toh phir hum chhoti-chooti meen-mekh nikalna shuru karte hai.
Bas woh pyaar dhundte raho, sab sahi rahega.
Karan Singh: Aisi kaunsi filmein thi jinhone sabse zyaada impact kiya aap ko apne FTII days mein? Aur hamari Hindi film industry mein Stanislavski chalta hai ya Meisner chalta hai?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Pehle sawaal ka jawab ye hai ki FTII mein bohot saari filmein dekhi. Sahi batau toh cinema ke saath jo ek naya taruf hua woh FTII mein aake hua. Usse pehle jo hum VHS pe gaon mein dekh lete the dekh lete the ya phir cinema mein jo film lagi hai woh dekhni hai humein kyunki bas khaali waqt hai hamare paas. Rohtak mein jo theatre mein filmein lagti thi sab dekhne pohoch jaate the.
Par cinema ko samajhne ka ya usko dhang se dekhne ke liye FTII mein bohot saari, matlab saikdon, filmein dekhi. Agar main do-chaar naam kuch lunga toh unme se bohot shuruaati daur main jaise Rashomon ki dimaag mein ek picture hai; vaise hi The Godfather (by Francis Ford Coppola) hai, woh film baad mein life ka bada hissa ho gayi meri, Unn dino City of God (by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund) dekhi thi – bohot bhayankar lagi thi; suddenly laga ki kaun log hai jo iss tarah ka cinema banate hai, iss tarah ki kahaniyan bata rahe hote hai aap ko. Toh aise bohot saari filmein thi. Woh aap ka syllabus ban jaati hai kuch time ke baad, ki aap itna inspire hote ho unn cheezon ko dekh ke.
Aur second baat ye hai ki hamare Indian cinema mein kuch laagu nahi hota hai – na Stanislavski na Sanford Meisner, to be very honest. Ye aap ke upar lagu hoga. Agar aap karna chahte ho toh shayad, agar mahaul mil gaya, aap kar paoge. Nahi toh, more than 90% jagahon pe koi logic nahi hai, kyunki jin logon ki aap baat kar rahe ho, especially Stanislavski joh aur zyaada length-y aur complicated technique hai; Meisner bhi, Stella (Adler) bhi, aur ye sab logon ne bhi jo baad mein thoda simplify karne ki koshish ki, even then it’s very subjective to the environment you’re given to. Nahi toh aisa nahi hoga na ke ek script ke peeche director aur baaki poore log, poora department woh chaar mahine se kaam kar rahe hai aur actor 15 din pehle final hota hai. Kaise possible hai ye agar sab-ke-sab process follow kar rahe hai toh?
Koi bhi process aap akele follow nahi kar paoge as an actor. Haan, usse aap apni jaan bacha paoge, gaaliyan khaane se bach paoge – that is the only requirement for that. Lekin pure process aap kabhi bhi akele filmmaking mein follow nahi kar sakte unless and until aap ki direction, aap ki production, aap ki entire team uss cheez mein help kare.
Nikhilesh Mishra: FTII ke dino ki kaunsi woh learnings aur experiences hai jo aap ke saath rahi jab aap Institute se passout ho kar Mumbai aaye, aur struggle ke dauran somehow helped you?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Kisi bhi cheez ki training, na sirf being an actor, aap ko hamesha help karegi. Tuition lagate hai na jaise baccho ka, class toh chal hi rahi hai, par tuition kya hota hai na ki aap ko specific ek given time mein aap ko zyaada kaam karne ke liye push kiya jaata hai. That is the sole purpose of it: zyaada concentration ke liye, uss cheez ke upar zyaada specific, zyaada dhyaan dene ke liye aap ko tuition lagaya jaata hai. It’s the same as training. Toh mujhe aisa lagta hai training aap ko hamesha help karti hai.
Jo best cheez aap ko help karne ki koshish karti hai woh hai aap ka base; in the sense, agar main sirf acting ki baat karu toh, jo uski craft hai, uske jo basics hai na, woh aap ko ek level se kharab kaam karne se rok hi denge, kyunki aap kar hi nahi paoge. Aap ko pata hai ki aap ko bohot illogical script mil gayi, bohot illogical mahaul bhi mil gaya hai, toh bhi aap itna toh uss training ke wajah se isse kharab nahi karoge; kam-se-kam aap apne aap ko toh bacha hi loge agar kharab-se-kharab film ka hissa hue toh. Training aapki net hai – woh aap ko hamesha zinda bachaye rakhega. Woh hamesha aap ko ek free fall se bachaegi; kabhi bhi uss zone mein se bahar nahi jaane degi.
Sayani Gupta: What was your biggest or most significant learning about acting while you were in FTII and while playing Hathi Ram?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Sabse badi realisation ye thi ki main bohot ganda actor hoon, kyunki jab hum theatre karte the toh hume lagta tha ki hum se baap koi actor nahi hai. Toh sabse pehle woh confidence toota ki tum bohot acche actor ho. ‘Arre, tumhare jaise bohot dekhe hai. Chalo niklo yahan se.’ Toh suddenly aap ko lagta hai, ‘Shit, abhi tak jo padha tha uska kya? Abhi tak toh tees maar Khan the hum.’ Toh woh best realisation tha kyunki wahan se journey shuru hui, wahan se understanding shuru hui ki ye aise nahi chalega. Kyunki bees log hai class mein, sab apni-apni jagah ke dhurandar hai. Unki jagahon se woh utne hi best actors the na jaise main apne stage pe raha hoonga kabhi?
Toh best feeling ye thi ke aap uss acting community ka ya uss bade frame mein aap jigsaw puzzle ka ek aisa hissa hue ho ki aap ko usme fit hona hai ya aap ho gaye ho. Aap ko khoobsurti uski dekhni hai. Poora jigsaw puzzle aap nahi ho – aap uska ek hissa ho. Toh wahan se journey shuru hui iss baat ko samajh ne ki ki ye akele ka kaam nahi hai. Isliye koi accha kaam hota hai mujhe samajh nahi aata ki uska credit main kaise receive karu, kyunki mujhe woh sab chehre yaad rehte hai – ek-ek aadmi, especially jin hone woh build kiya hai, uss character ko. Toh unki taraf se, sab ki taraf se, haath jod ke khada ho jaata hoon; mujhe samajh nahi aata thank you ke alawa kya kahu, kyunki maine nahi kiya hai woh.
Same Hathi Ram ke time pe hua tha. Mujhe aaj bhi yaad ki jab maine Hathi Ram pehli baar padha, mujhe laga ki main ye shayad nahi kar paunga, because it’s too complicated. Mujhe jis tarah ke kirdaar milte the toh woh aise the ki haan, haan dominant hai – ek aisi personality hai ki sab ko le legi, koi bhi saamne aaya usko ukhaad degi, maar degi. Pehli baar kisi ne bola tha ki, ‘Nahi, tum rone wale ho. Tum darr ne wale ho. Tum bhaag ne wale ho. Tum bhay mein bhi hone wale ho. Gusse mein bhi hone wale ho.’ Aisa koi rass nahi tha jo usme nahi ho. Pehla thought ye tha ki itni aasani se nahi ho payega ye. Phir agla thought ye tha – itna khush ho gaya tha mein – ki kisi aadmi ne ek baar bharosa kiya ki woh itna bada kaam aur bhaari zimmedari iske kandho pe daal ke dekhte hai, dekhte hai kitni dur tak ghasit ke leke jayega. Aur woh jo realisation tha na, woh motivation ban gaya. Aur mujhe laga ki itni khoobsurti aur itne pyaar se karunga na, ki bhul jao craft-vraft ab pyaar daalna hai isme; craft toh likha hua hai, woh itna khoobsurat likha hua hai – ab mujhe bas pyaar se kudna hai, dekhte hai phir kya hota hai. Koi bhay nahi tha, kuch nahi tha – sirf pyaar tha Hathi Ram se.
Akshay Dutta: Koi aisa kirdaar hai kisi aur actor ka jo aap ko lagta hai ki kaash mein ye kar pata, aur agar aisa hai koi kirdaar toh usme kya alag karna chahte ho?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Dutta sahab, ye sawaal aaj se bees-tees saal baad puchenge toh zyaada better bata paunga, kyunki abhi toh woh jo kinds of roles hai unki toh line lagi padi hai; abhi toh shuruaat hui hai. Abhi toh logon ne bharosa jataana shuru kiya hai ki, ‘Haan, ye ek actor hai. Abhi ye kuch karega toh hum dekhna chahenge ki kya karta hai uss kirdaar ke saath.’ Toh abhi ki list bohot lambi hai. Par agar main kuch do-chaar naam aap ke saamne lu toh jaise meri all-time favourite Hindi filmon mein se ek hai Angoor (by Gulzar); mujhe woh kirdaar itne pasand hai, jis tarah se likhe gaye hai, mujhe lagta hai ki isse better kya hi kar loge aap. Koi bhi aadmi uss film se better kirdaar kya hi portray karega – jis tarah se Sanjeev (Kumar) sir ne aur Deven (Verma) sir ne kiya hai, aap usse better aap kya hi kar loge.
But, aap ko lagta hai ki shayad kuch naya karne ka mauka mil jaaye. Toh aise bohot saari filmein hai. Hamari ek bohot interesting film hai, Haasil (by Tigmanshu Dhulia), jo Irrfan sir ne ki thi – woh meri all time filmon mein se ek hai; Ardh Satya (by Govind Nihalani) hai, Satya aur Company (by Ram Gopal Varma) jaise filmein hai. Aur phir waise hi kirdaar aap ko dusre tareeke se bhi sochne ka mauka milta hai. Aap pade-pade sochte ho ki, ‘Yaar, DDLJ mujhe mil rahi hoti toh main kya karta?’ Aur aap apne aap ko actually imagine karna shuru karte ho. Aap ko koi bol de aaj ki tumhari utni hi umr hai jitni uss waqt Shahrukh sir ki thi, ek baar karke dikao, toh aap kya naya kar loge usme – ye toh usi din pata chalega jis din camera roll hoga. Toh main khaali soch leta hoon ki, ‘Main hota na, toh shayad aisa karta. Shahrukh sir ki tarah nahi kar pata.’ Par aaj jab hum normal ghar mein khade hote hain toh hamare haath waise chale hi jaate hai. Socho itna impact hai unn filmon ka hamare upar.
Toh, kya naya karunga ye aayega tabhi hi pata chalega, but unn kirdaaron ki list bohot lambi hai, bohot zyaada – chahe woh hamara Indian cinema ho ya bahar ka ho.
Shaunak Punde: Aap jab bhi koi kirdaar lete hai ya perform karne wale hote hai, do you think koi script ya kitaab padh ke uss kirdaar ko nibhana behtar hoga ya aap apna inspiration zyadatar filmon se lete hai?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Inspiration, Shaunak, aisi cheez hai jo kahin se bhi, kisi bhi waqt, kisi bhi cheez se mil sakti hai. Ye aap ko dhundna padta hai. Aap ko dhundna padega ki koi aap ko kirdaar karte waqt uss ki kuch tayyari karni hai toh woh kuch dekhne se hoga, kuch naya padhne se hoga ya uss tarah ka kirdaar padhne se jo aap ki memory mein hai ya kisi ne bata diya ki aisa hi ek kirdaar wahan uss writing mein hain toh aap usko padh sakte ho ya koi aisa kirdaar kisi film mein dekh sakte ho. But woh bohot subjective cheez hai ki aap kis tarah se woh inspiration le paate ho, kaise uski tayyari kar paate ho – uska koi ek funda nahi hai.
Jo ek cheez common hai woh ye hai ki aap ko uss kirdaar ki ek imaandari dhundni padti hai – ek thread hota hai. Woh jab hum dhundna shuru kar dete hai toh uske aas-paas tanna-bunna phir se shuru kar dete hai.
Woh best tabhi hi niklega jab aap ki team aap ke saath hogi. Akela actor ek tool hai. Uska best tabhi hi niklega jab best cameraman hoga, best editing hogi, best sound recordist hoga, best direction hogi, best costumes hoge uss kirdaar ko banane ke liye. Aap akele usko bana hi nahi sakte. Agar kal ko aa ke koi bol de ki ye kirdaar hai uske kapde bhi tumhi design karo, dimaag phat jayega. Nahi hai possible. Aap apni taraf se best hi leke aa sakte hai ki woh jo kirdaar likha gaya hai, jo shabd likhe gaye hai, panne par kisi ne utare hai, uss kirdaar ko kisi ne panne pe utara hai, usme aap itni aatma daal sakte ho, kitna aap bhav daal sakte ho. Uss emotion ko aap kitna apne through usko channelise kar sakte ho audience tak. Zaroori nahi hai ki aap har baar uss emotion ke through hi niklo. Aap channelise kar dete ho – you’re a bridge to transfer that emotion in the same or in a better feel to the audience. Jo shabd bole gaye hai, ‘Kitne aadmi the?’ iska ek meaning hai. Agar woh pohoch gaya audience tak aur aap ne hi khoobsurti se bola ki log aaj bhi yeh keh rahe hai toh bas itni si tayyari hai.
Raj Nayak: What advice would you give to writers?
Jaideep Ahlawat: Hamare yahan na padhna band kar diya hai logon ne. Unko lagta hai ki kahaniyan dekh ke ek nayi kahani likhi jaati hai. Puraani kahawat hai: Ek kitaab likhne ke liye aap ko sau kitaabe padhni padti hai. Toh agar aap ka profession woh hai, pehli baat toh, thank you, aap log likhte ho toh woh liberty hum tak aati hai. Main bolta hoon ki shehar mein sabse zyaada kami hai woh acche writers ki hai. Uske baad, unn logon ki jo uss writing ko kam-se-kam accept kar le. Lekin abhi kya hai, scenario bohot accha aa raha hai. Bohot acchi-acchi cheezein log likh rahe hai. Thankfully, woh screen tak, logon tak, pohoch rahi hai.
Life mein basics pe jaana bohot zaroori hai. Jaise hi aap duvidha mein phanso, aap ekdum basics pe chale jao. Aap jab bhi koi kahani padhte ho, bhul jao ki aap usko act karne wale ho. Agar aap ko kahani padhte waqt lage ki isme kuch tha, kuch toh aap ko hila gaya, kuch rula gaya, kuch hasa gaya – bohot saare jo acche writers hai unki khoobsurti yahi hai, ki bohot saal pehle kuch likh ke gaye hai aur woh aaj bhi utni hi amount mein aap ke andar woh emotion generate karte hai jo kisi bhi generation ke saath kiya gaya hoga. Toh agar woh sustained reh jaata hai, agar aap ne woh script ya kahani padhi, aur woh emotion sustain kar gaya agle time tak, agle paanch ghante tak, toh haan ye rukne wala hai, ye ab kahin nahi jaane wala hai. Woh jo pehla impact hai na woh bohot interesting hai. Agar pehle paanch-dus minute mein kahani pakad ke samajh aa jaati hai, toh aap ko samajh jaata hai ki ye kahin nahi jaane wali – kyunki usme koi thought process nahi hai, mera apna maan na hai.
Toh baat ye hai ki aap life ko bhi samjho, kitaabe bhi padho, aur dusre ke perspective bhi dekho. Writer toh itni badi cheez hai ki timeless value hoti hai writing ki. Kisi ne likha hi hoga na Ramanyan, Mahabharat bhi toh? Timeless value hai uski. Shakespeare likh ke mar gaya. Jitni generations aati hai actors ki, jo natak usne likhi hai woh hamesha unke liye challenge rahenge – ki usko kis aur dhang se kar sakte hai woh log.
Toh writing bohot kamaal ki cheez hoti hai, par, phir se, agar usme imaandari nahi hai na, toh woh kahin nahi pohochne wali. Aap uss kaam ko leke imaandar nahi ho, kuch-na-kuch naya paisa kamana chahte ho – woh bhi karo. Par woh best kaam nahi hone wala aap ka. Main nahi keh raha hoon mat karo. Aap likho. Bohot ajeeb-ajeeb kahaniyan banti hai TV pe, screen pe, sab likho. Jo aap ko likhna hai likho – main kaun hoon ye batane wala ki sahi-galat kya hai? Par woh aap ko satisfaction tab degi jab woh aap ke kuch emotion ko nikalegi – kuch toh connectoin banega; nahi toh nahi banega. Uska koi logic nahi hai, mujhe nahi lagta hai. Haan, paisa kamane ke liye bohot sahi hai – chhap lo jitna chhap na hai.
To watch the full video of the Dial M For Films session of Jaideep Ahlawat in conversation with Smriti Kiran click here.
For more information about the Dial M For Films series click here.
P.S: The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) conducts Dial M For Films, an online knowledge series, free of cost because we believe in fair and equal access to the insight and experience of talent from the world of cinema for all. If you find these sessions of value and would like to quote from them or distribute them further as study material, we request that you give MAMI and Dial M For Films credit while doing so.
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