Twenty years in, Shreyas Talpade still talks about acting the way a first-year student would — with wonder, hunger and the quiet suspicion that he hasn’t figured it all out yet. He’s the rare actor who can make an audience laugh as Golmaal’s Lakshman and then unravel them as a father, Yogesh Patil seeking justice for his murdered daughter in The India Story. In a conversation with CE, he opens up about the emotional toll of his roles, the craft of comedy, and more.
Excerpts
How do you look back at your journey?
Overall, the journey has been pretty satisfying. The best part is that I’ve learned a lot. I guess till I’m here on earth, I’ll keep learning because I think I’ll always be a student of life. But honestly, this is just the beginning. There’s a long way to go and so much more to achieve.
As an actor, what excites you more today?
It has to challenge me emotionally as an actor. I have to feel what I can give this character, how I can make it different and turn it into something like a dream role for anyone watching. At the same time, all of that has to surprise my audience. If they come to theatres wondering what new thing you’ve done this time, I think that’s probably the biggest reward you can get.
What was it like portraying a grieving father seeking justice for his daughter in The India Story?
This is the journey of a father and I guess every parent will do whatever it takes to make sure their child is protected. Being a father myself, I felt immediately relatable to a lot of it. This has been one of those emotionally charged roles I’ve performed on screen after a long time. I’m extremely happy and proud of it. Stepping into that mindset was tough, especially with certain sequences that were very disturbing for me too. But I think that’s exactly the challenge we need to overcome. I’m glad people are relating to it and liking it, that’s what makes all the difference in the end.
What was your experience of sharing screen space with Kajal Aggarwal?
Kajal is a wonderful actress and extremely professional. She comes prepared on set, comes on time, knows her lines and thinks through what needs to be done. I think that’s where the two of us are similar, because theatre also teaches you to think about the backstory of your character — what the journey is going to be, what the graph will look like and what’s expected of you at any given moment.
It was wonderful working with her; her performance added a lot of value to my character. Having a strong performer like Kajal alongside you makes sure your own performance improves too.
How do you strike the balance between commercial cinema and stories close to your heart?
I’m happy that people and the industry see me in both commercial entertainers and content-driven films. That’s exactly what I’ve always set out to achieve. I love entertainers like Golmaal, where you can be over the top, improvise and make people laugh; there’s a completely different energy to it. At the same time, films like Dor, Iqbal, Welcome to Sajjanpur and The India Story challenge a different part of me as an actor. I genuinely seek out such scripts because I enjoy challenging subjects, and you never know what will appeal to people. As artists, I believe it’s our responsibility to speak about certain subjects through our medium, make people aware and let them think it through and take their own call. This is my way of making a statement.
What separates good comedy from truly memorable comedy?
I personally think comedy needs to be taken extremely seriously, it’s a serious business. There has to be a lot of honesty and innocence in it. You have to live that character, be in that situation, because it’s the situation that usually makes people laugh.
Comedy has become one of your biggest strengths. What separates good comedy from truly memorable comedy?
I personally think comedy needs to be taken extremely seriously — it’s serious business. There has to be a lot of honesty and innocence in it. You have to live that character, be in that situation, because it’s the situation that usually makes people laugh.
You can’t think, “Okay, now I’ll make you laugh” — that just doesn’t work. That’s what I mentioned about Golmaal: they’re all goofy characters played with utmost honesty and innocence. Nobody is really trying to make anyone laugh, but the situations and characters — their helplessness, their sheer effort to achieve something — end up making people laugh a lot. That’s what I’ve learned over the years, and the learning goes on.
With Golmaal 5 on the cards, what does it feel like returning to a role?
Lakshman is truly one of my favourites, and that’s exactly why it puts more responsibility on my shoulders — to make sure I maintain the same intensity and honesty in the character. Our captain, Rohit Shetty, always throws a new challenge at Lakshman starting from the second part of Golmaal, and I really love that about him. This time too, there’s a new challenge for Lakshman, and I’ve tried my best to make sure it’s memorable. We’ll know for sure once the film releases, but one thing is certain — the whole team is just as excited about Golmaal as our audiences are, and we look forward to the film ourselves.
The biggest reason the Golmaal team feels like family is that everyone on set is an extremely secure actor. There’s no insecurity, nobody worrying about how many lines they have in a scene or whether they’ve got a great punchline. Everyone works sincerely towards making the scene great and making sure the audience is laughing their hearts out. That’s the biggest strength, and the credit entirely goes to our captain, Rohit, and the writers. They make sure everyone gets almost equal space. We crack jokes on ourselves and each other, and we’re completely happy about it. Because at the end of the day, if that’s what makes my audience laugh, I’ll do it with all my heart.
Do audience expectations feel like pressure, or do you see them as a compliment?
I think it’s a huge compliment if people are always expecting something new when you come on screen. It’s a huge responsibility too, but I’d rather take that challenge than have it any other way. Once you’ve raised those expectations, it’s your responsibility to keep meeting them for as long as you’re performing. I love every moment of it, and that’s how I’d always want it to be.
What has been the guiding principle behind the films and characters you choose?
I have always gone for films and characters that have touched me the moment I first heard them. There has to be something that appeals to you — either it’s exciting, emotional, unique or performance-oriented. There has to be something you take back with you, and that’s how I’ve made my choices. Sometimes they’ve been right, sometimes wrong. But I guess we’re only human and we’re prone to mistakes.
