AMOL PARASHAR: SARDAR UDHAM GOT WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION AT THE NATIONAL AWARDS
Sardar Udham swept several accolades at the 69th National Film Awards, winning in Best Hindi Film, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Designer, Best Production Design, and Best Audiography: Re-Recording (Final Mixing) categories.
The film featured Vicky in the titular role while Amol Parashar essayed the pivotal character of Bhagat Singh. Sharing his elation on the film’s massive recognition, Amol said, “It's a great feeling. It will sound boastful but I would say that I wasn't surprised, I wasn't shocked. When I saw the film for the first time, I was quite stunned by what I saw. Sometimes when you're shooting a film, you get a sense that you're doing something good. But in this case particularly, there was so much of the film that had been shot without me also which I had no idea about, at least not visually. So when I also saw it for the first time, I was blown away by the craft, by the camera work, the costumes, the production design, everything. Also, we all wish that all of us got awards, but there are other films, there are other people and we can't take everything. I think it got a decent and well-deserved recognition at the National Awards.”
Speaking about director Shoojit Sircar, Amol added, “It was a unique experience. He's deeply connected to theatre and he has a preference for theatre actors from what I know. He has roots in theatre, so many people have worked with him. His approach to acting and creating a scene is a lot like theatre, which I think is a great thing for any actor. Because he gives you that space, he gives you his vision, but he also gives you the space to experiment. It's almost like an organic collaboration with the actors. It feels like I'm being used to my full potential and I'm just not a prop in somebody's film. And I think that also leads you to give a better performance because you're so much at ease.”
Ask him to describe Vicky as a co-star and Amol quipped, “I knew him from before, not very well, but I kind of knew him. I spoke to him also before going on set and he was all very enthusiastic about working together. I was very enthusiastic. We had a great time. It was a short period. I shot only for a few days because of a few scenes. But it's nice to work with people who are good at their job, who are good to work with, who are generally chilled out. Because everybody is at ease. I was glad that I was on that set with somebody like Shoojit sir and Vicky. Because again, Vicky also has roots in theatre. I think that kind of shows the belief that good things only come out of collaboration.”
Amol’s latest offering is Panchi Aise Aate Hai, a teleplay based on Shakespeare’s rib-tickling comedy ‘Twelfth Night’. It is being streamed on D2H and TV. Speaking about the unique venture, the actor shared, “It was an interesting experience because at that time, we were venturing into teleplays for the first time. I am an actor today because of theatre. I came to Bombay to do theatre, not to do films or shows, so for me to be doing a play which was going to be televised, it was very exciting.”
With OTT and movies coming his way, Amol shared that he has been itching to do theatre. “I have been trying to do something about it and hopefully something will happen soon. It's been 4-5 years since I went on stage with a proper play. It feels strange to me also because my truth is that I came to Mumbai to do theatre and I haven't done that in a few years now. It's not like I'm complaining about my life, life is good but there is a part of me that belongs on stage,” concluded Amol.