Television and movie actor Gireesh Sahdev is currently seen as Kailash, Kathaa’s father-in-law in the show Kathaa Ankahee on Sony TV. In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, he talks about his work and more.
Opening up about his role in Kathaa Ankahee, he shares. “He is a self-made personality. He is very rich and a little bit egoistic when it comes to his son. He loves his son very deeply but since his son gets married against his wishes, he has differences with him. He is so rigid that he doesn’t even attend the last rites of his son. The younger son is sent to attend those rituals. I enjoy playing this character.”
When asked about the difference between films and TV shows, he explains, “There were a lot of differences earlier but not so much in the show which I am doing presently. We have a bound script in films. While for TV we decide what will be next week’s storyline. We can make changes in TV. I am very lucky that all my shows were shot differently and all my characters for TV stood out for me as an actor.”
Gireesh has previously collaborated with the legendary late filmmaker Yash Chopra in Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) and director Prakash Jha in Satyagraha (2013). When quizzed about his experiences he says.
“Mr Yash Chopra always made films so honestly. If I wouldn’t have been cast for Jab Tak Hai Jaan, then I would have missed this opportunity of working with such an ace filmmaker. He was always energetic. Whenever I was free on the set, I would go and sit with him. He told me, ‘In our field it’s very important to satisfy the audience. If you make a good movie they will laugh, cry and enjoy the movie’. He always emphasised on things that are seen on-screen.”
Elaborating about Prakash Jha, Gireesh gushes, “I have seen Prakash Jha handling a crowd of 200 people and Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Rampal at the same time. He used to hold the mic and handle every single thing by himself. He would also narrate the lines to the actor. He is so energetic. He would reach the set at 6.30 AM for the 7 AM shift. He plans his film for 70 days and finishes the entire film in 40 or 50 days. He is very grounded and hardworking.”
On a parting note he talks about Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan. “I noticed that Akshay is very disciplined about his eating habits and exercises. Salman is a laparwah guy but he notices each and every minute thing that is happening on the sets. We met after nine months and I was astonished that he remembered all that I had discussed with him,” he concludes.
