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Journalism of Courage
I wasted a lot of my time drifting and experimenting,quot; says Jayant Kripalani, pulling drags restlessly from his cigarette, in between rehearsal sessions of Lillete Dubey8217;s Siren City. A play which ends Kripalani8217;s eight-year hiatus from the stage 8212; with a role somewhat close to his heart. He plays a writer, grappling with an industry starved of idealism. The story explores the path he takes before he ultimately returns to his paradigm of creativity, from where he began as a writer.
After receiving a dollop of popularity and fame through television serials, Kripalani slid back to the obscurity of an idealist, unable to adjust to the commercial8217; set-up. After years, he appeared again in the television comedy series Sunday Ke Sunday, all the while, searching for his forte. quot;I wasn8217;t happy with the kind of work I was getting to do. I couldn8217;t really pinpoint what was wrong, but there was no challenge. I was out of place. I almost psyched myself into believing that I was getting stuck and I got out of it soon after.quot;
His indifference to the world of floodlights, however, has often cost him dearly. quot;For a long time, I was unsure of myself as an actor. Even when I was approached for Siren City, it actually took me a few seconds to accept it. I wasn8217;t sure if I could act. It was rather unnerving. But the shades of the role made it irresistible. At certain points of the play, I even feel as though I8217;m talking about my own life,quot; he admits. Yet, his satisfaction is not complete. quot;I hope to firm up the acting a little more for the perfect texture,quot; he grins.
Kripalani8217;s obsession with quality is one the reasons he eschews Bollywood. His brush with a few directors convinced him of his discomfiture in that environment. quot;I was aghast at the utter lack of discipline in commercial Hindi cinema. I8217;ve had discipline grilled into my system throughout my upbringing. I couldn8217;t have changed myself into a totally different person trying to adjust to such a system.quot; He doggedly stuck to his guns, even though it meant occasional frustration and missing out on exploring his potential as an actor. But theatre does seem to beckon him for the moment. He8217;s waiting for a couple of scripts to be finished. Kripalani is also working on a project with Siddharth Basu for television, but quot;only behind the cameraquot;. quot;It8217;s too premature to talk about it, but it is a promising project.quot;
And even if it flops, Kripalani doesn8217;t seem to be too bothered. He8217;s seen the worst 8212; and it no longer scares him.
