Yashpal Sharma: I’ll do TV only if I need money

Yashpal Sharma can play an antagonist and a comedian with equal ease. The versatile actor, a National School of Drama graduate, now looks towards films and television – but only if he is offered a challenging role or if he needs money. All his energies, at present, are channelized towards theatre. We caught up with the actor in Gurgaon, where he came to stage his play 'Koi Baat Chale'.Excerpts:
NSD was the golden phase of my life
Today, despite having earned both money and fame, Yashpal still considers NSD as the most wonderful phase of his life, when he had none. “I used to live in a world of imagination. Subah-shaam sirf acting aur literature. We had no money, no family members around us, no films or TV offers at that time. Today, my time is consumed in looking after so many other things. While my childhood days with my mother in the village, spent in utter penury, taught me all about life and helped me develop a survival instinct, NSD gave me books and proper training and thus, a sense of maturity,” he reminisces.
But it’s not only theatre that consumed his time, Pratibha, then his classmate and now his wife, also hovered in his mind. “Dil-phenk toh main hamesha se tha, toh socha pyaar bhi karke dekha jaye. We used to roam around in Bengali Market and CP, but most of my leisure time was spent in her room in the girls’ hostel and it didn’t go down well with many in the institute. But, I know, woh sab bhi kisi na kisi ladki ke room mein ghuse rehte thay.”
READ: Yashpal Sharma's comedy drama staged in Gurgaon at Epicentre
The standard of art and culture in Mandi House has plummeted
Yashpal feels the cultural atmosphere during his days at NSD, about 20 years back, was not only more vibrant, but also more revered. “At that time, we used to watch performances by the likes of Sonal Mansingh, Pandit Birju Maharaj and Bhimsen Joshi. Today, I don’t see any artiste of their stature performing at Mandi House. The plays too that are staged have no depth in them,” he says.
He adds, “As far as NSD is concerned, when you see the students busy on Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter, you ask yourself, where’s that phenomenon of undivided attention towards theatre that existed in our times? Moreover, earlier, theatre artistes would go back to their respective hometowns post-NSD to propagate the art. Today, everybody packs their bags for Mumbai. I am not saying there is anything wrong it in it. But NSD is seen as a medium to get you into films. It is because many NSD graduates have done exceedingly well in Bollywood and the film industry too changed in the meantime and started giving character actors meaty roles.”
TV pays well par khoon choos lete hain
The Lagaan actor recently quit the TV show Neeli Chatri Waale. He says he had valid reasons for that. “TV khoon choos leta hai. Aap duniya se cut-off ho jaate hain. By the time I would come home, my kids would have gone to sleep. Aur aisa bhi nahi hai ke bahut creative kaam ho raha ho. Serials should be made on season basis and there should be episodes in the bank. Kayi baar toh the episode you shot for in the morning is telecast in the evening. Putting such pressure on an actor is a crime. Whenever I feel that I need money, I will do a TV show. It pays really well. For that matter, I am not even doing films now. I have no interest in playing a villain’s sidekick or hero’s friend. I refused a film that had Aamir Khan in the lead recently because the role was not challenging enough. Right now, I am focusing on two upcoming plays – one with Naseeruddin Shah and other one, a solo. Every artiste wants to play the lead and I get to do that in theatre,” he says.
Interested in knowing more about Yashpal Sharma? Read the article 'Yashpal Sharma quits, Rajesh is the new Bhagwan in the show 'Neeli Chatri Waale'.
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Watch: Yashpal Sharma on playing Bhagwan Das