Once a comedian, always one

NEW DELHI, February 24: His ambition in life is to make a really funny film ala Charlie Chaplin, but the comedian-turned-director Satish ...

NEW DELHI, February 24: His ambition in life is to make a really funny film ala Charlie Chaplin, but the comedian-turned-director Satish Kaushik is a slightly sad man today for 8220;Bollywood8217;s failure to recognise my real potential8221;.

8220;In our industry, once you get into a slot, you are stuck,8221; rues Kaushik, who first shot to fame as Calendar8217;, the lovable cook in Shekhar Kapur8217;s film Mr India.

8220;Once a comedian, always a comedian 8212; you get only funny roles 8212; though I want to do different roles. I can play very good character roles,8221; says Kaushik, an alumni of the National School of Drama. To overcome this dearth of variety roles, the man, whose roly-poly form is quite a popular sight in Hindi films, says he tries to give a characteristic twist to each role he plays, striving to make it unique.

8220;I change my speech pattern, my garb, my body language. Drawing inspiration from characters I have seen in real life,8221; says Kaushik, pointing out his initial roles in films like Shyam Benegal8217;s Mandi and Susman and Kundan Shah8217;s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron could not attract much attention.

In Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan, he spoke the Jama Masjid lingo, in Deewana Mastana, he plays the role of the funny don Pappu Pager speaking Mumbaiya, and in Pahari in his new directorial venture Hum Aapke Dil Main Mein Rehte Hain HADMRH.

But one role he cherishes, along with that of Calendar, is the South Indian sidekick of Govinda in David Dhawan8217;s Saajan Chale Sasural. 8220;For the character of Muthuswamy, I drew inspiration from Mehmood8217;s great dance teacher role in Padosan, 8220;a role which inspired me greatly to become an actor even as a child8221;.

He says: 8220;I could not perform even 10 per cent of what he did. Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja and Prem both produced by his friend Anil Kapoor8217;s brother Boney Kapoor, were monumental flops.

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He is, however, quite satisfied with the way the recently-released HADMRH, starring Anil Kapoor is faring. Talk about direction and he steer the conversation towards his dream. 8220;I want to make an out-and-out comedy film, something on the level of Chaplin or Laurel amp; Hardy8230;a real funny film of international standards. It will happen soon.8221;

He adds: 8220;Some people tell me why not make a film on the top 10 characters 8230;well, that is an idea.8221; He and Pankaj Kapoor play a comic duo in the countdown show on the Zee TV network 8212; their characters were even more popular than the songs. Kaushik is also enthusiastic about small-budget films 8212; like Satya and Hyderabad Blues 8212; which are going down well with the audiences. 8220;It is a good sign that cinema trends are changing in India8221;.