The year is 1988. You eagerly plop yourself in front of your first TV set, a luxury for the times indeed, and tune into Doordarshan. Soon, you will witness an epic come to life before you. The elders around you devotedly mouth the two Bhagavad Gita verses that are sung at the start of the episode, but you are too eager to see him… he, who is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, embodying compassion, patience, and forgiveness — Lord Krishna, played flawlessly by actor Nitish Bharadwaj in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat. Nostalgic, isn’t it? And on June 8, he is coming to Hyderabad’s Shilpakala Vedika to be Lord Krishna again, this time in writer-director Atul Satya Koushik’s Hindi play Chakravyuh, so a whole new generation can also witness Kanhaiya’s glory.
“In 1988, I was skeptical about playing Lord Krishna because I believed that the Chopras needed a more experienced actor to play the God,” reveals Nitish. But producer BR Chopra and his son, director Ravi Chopra, thought otherwise, believing that the young actor was the best fit.
And Nitish accepted. He recalls why: “Growing up, I was exposed to versions of the Mahabharat, the Gita, and Gyaneshwari, along with vast amounts of Marathi literature. I also enjoyed Marathi plays about Lord Krishna. All this had given me a strong understanding of Krishna’s life, and so I accepted the role. Once I did, it was only about giving my best to it. The blessings of Ma Bhagwati, Krishna, and my parents helped.”
As a child, Nitish trained to be a theatre director-actor in a children’s theatre group. But he ended up becoming a veterinary surgeon — more specifically, a horse practitioner, a service he was passionate about. “But certain circumstances made me jobless, and so I took to professional Marathi and Hindi theatre in Prithvi Theatres, Mumbai,” he says. The rest, of course, is history…or should we say, epic?
Well, although Nitish is best known for playing Lord Krishna, it is worth mentioning that he has also acted as Lord Vishnu in Vishnu Puran (2000) and Lord Rama in Ramayan (2001). “My cultural upbringing helped me play these roles. While Rama is about restraint, Krishna is about redefining the means to uphold dharma, and Vishnu is the all-encompassing preserver,” explains the actor, who clearly possesses a deep knowledge of both the epics and the Gods above.
Atul Satya Koushik’s spellbinding Chakravyuh has completed over 150 shows, including at the Parliament. The play is a unique take on the 13th day of the Kurukshetra battle, where Abhimanyu attains martyrdom. Nitish reveals that fans are eager to see him reprise the role of Lord Krishna. “Last month, I told the audience in Delhi that I have been playing Krishna since 1988 and want to stop. You know what they told me? ‘We don’t want to see anyone else.’ I am overwhelmed by the love and respect my fans give me.”
Now, fans in Hyderabad will soon witness Nitish in Krishna’s avatar. The actor, well-acquainted with the city, cites its rich history, “Hyderabad is known for beautiful chandeliers, Basra pearls, diamond mines, and the Golconda Fort. The Salar Jung Museum hosts the best of Deccan art.” While most salivate at the thought of Hyderabadi biryani, Nitish confesses he cannot get enough of Andhra pickles, saying, “Ah, I love gongura chutney, lentil chutney with onions, and of course, avakaya pickle.”
Playing Krishna, Nitish expresses, has taught him great life lessons. “It showed me how to become a more evolved man. In the last 30 years, I have learned a lot of life lessons the hard way, and Krishna is taking me closer to living his philosophy of Nishkaam Karma Yog — the detached way of life…”