Raghubir Yadav says good roles always existed, 'untrained' actors just couldn't do them: They just read lines and stand
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
As a veteran of the industry with four decades of experience, Raghubir Yadav is one of the most respected Indian actors around. And yet, even after all these years, the veteran star is still finding ways to break type. In his new web series, Hunkkaar , he plays a devious self-proclaimed godman accused of rape by a minor. In a conversation with Hindustan Times about the role and the state of acting in India, Raghubir opens up on breaking type and the ‘good’ roles for actors.
Adding to this, Raghubir Yadav plays a self-proclaimed godman in Hunkkaar. On playing villain in Hunkkaar Over the years, Raghubir Yadav has made a name for himself playing likeable, pleasant characters, be it in movie or on TV. From Mulla Nasruddin to Pradhan ji in Panchayat, he has made the ‘lovable villager’ trope his own. Hunkkaar helps him break that type, at 69. Talking about playing a hateable villain in the show, Raghubir says, “I always look for these opportunities. That is how it is. Otherwise, what is the fun if you keep repeating the same thing over and over?”
Meanwhile, The star says he had to utilise all his training to get under the skin of Baapji in Hunkkaar. “Your entire existence should change, and to do so, you need to change internally. What can be better for an star than to get such chances,” he says. While many viewers were surprised at his physical transformation as well, Raghubir says the get-up ‘does not help at all’. He explains, “It’s not about the get-up. It is about how you feel within. Once that is sorted, your body language changes. The get-up and clothes are just additions to that.”
Notably, Many actors have shared this is the golden age for actors in India. The argument is that the proliferation of streaming in India has opened up avenues for more actors, with some saying that better roles are now being written. Raghubir does not agree, though. “Such roles were always written, but actors just couldn’t do them.”
As per the latest buzz, Raghubir started as a stagehand in the theatre in his teens, before moving to acting and eventually films in the 1980s. He says his training has helped him over the years and laments that other actors haven't opted for it. “To find something in the character cannot come without training. Today, people just mug up four lines, stand and say, ‘I’m an star’. We have been trained from the ground up,” he says.
In further updates, The star, who has been part of three Oscar-nominated films, says that training enables an star to find nuances in the script and enhance performance. “Not everything is written in the script. There is always something to the left and right of it. Finding something is your responsibility. And if you are trained, you will find it. If you do just what is on the page, there is no fun in that,” he adds.
On top of that, Hunkkaar: The Roar stars Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Raghubir Yadav, Aneet Padda, Ram Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, and Zoya Hussain. The series focuses on a schoolgirl’s allegation of sexual harassment against a revered self-proclaimed godman and the investigation into it. It rolled out on JioHotstar on September 25 to widespread acclaim, with particular praise for Raghubir and Aneet’s performances.
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times