Sanjay Goradia is among the top producers of Gujarati theatre and takes his profession seriously. He is also an actor known for comedy roles but is practical and grounded in the knowledge that his career as a producer has enabled his persona on stage. In a friendly chat with Mumbai Theatre Guide, Goradia opens up about his career in the theatre, and his masterstroke of a decision to become a theatre producer.
By Keyur Seta
Keyur Seta (KS): How did your journey in theatre commence?
Sanjay Goradia (SG): I started with the play KARO KANKU NA in 1994. I was the actor in the play as well as its producer. Then I did CHAKRAVERTY and JAMA UDHAAR in the same year.
KS: So, when did you develop an interest in theatre?
SG: I used to work as a salesman in a medical store. Then I got involved with theatre and began as a backstage worker.
KS: Why theatre?
SG: I can't pinpoint one particular thing. I had this desire for theatre since childhood. I used to take part in fancy dress competitions when I was small. There is no one particular reason.
KS: Who was your inspiration?
SG: There are many. I can give you 20-25 names of theatre people who have impressed me a lot. It also changes from play to play. If I like an actor in one particular play, it is not necessary that I will like him in some other play as well. Theatre is a group activity. It is not a monologue. A play has a writer, director, actors, set designer, light operator, music director and others. An actor's performance may be uplifted by the manner in which music is used by the director. If I perform well in a play, it also means that my lines were very good. So, I don't like to take credit alone.
KS: Are you as funny in real life as you are on stage?
SG: Yes, I am. I have developed my comic skills from the time I was a salesman at a chemist shop. I used to do things that would make customers laugh. Those were my demos (smiles). I always had a sense of humor. But my style of cracking jokes hasn't developed through any plan. It just kept developing gradually. Plus, God has given me a face that is comic perhaps. Even my stature is such. So, all these things have contributed.
But I have gained much acceptance for my character roles only because I am a producer. You are more impressed with my acting. But this is not true. The producer in me deserves more credit. I will tell you the reason for this. The amount of plays I have done as a producer, are three times more than the ones where I have acted in. I have produced plays on varied topics. I have also taken many risks. At the same time, I have also done mediocre plays. My profile as a producer is larger. But people remember me more as an actor because jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai. Nowadays, people are also able to see me in video clippings and on YouTube.
But if the producer in me wouldn't have been good enough, I wouldn't have become a famous actor. I will tell you why. The point is, who will trust you? Right now, I am successful. The moon shines and so I appear bright to you. But when I was nobody, the producer in me took the risk of presenting myself as the main actor. Someone else wouldn't have offered me the roles I did. Before playing the main lead in CHHAGAN MAGAN TARA CHHAPRE LAGAN, I had done plays but they were just comic roles that had just two scenes. KARO KANKU NAA, where I played the main lead, was the play through which I started my career as a producer.
But after this play, I decided to produce more plays than act because I didn't have support from my director or co-actors. However, after CHHAGAN MAGAN I declared that I will do main roles henceforth. Nobody questioned me because I had become a successful producer then. Always remember, people will ask a lot of questions and they won't trust you. So, you need to trust yourself. Plus, by that time, people had started trusting producer Sanjay Goradia. So, if I wouldn't have been a producer, I can surely tell you that I wouldn't have got an opportunity. Hence, the whole credit goes to the producer in me.
KS: Do you ever feel you have got typecast in a particular comic role?
SG: To break an image, you first need to make an image. I don't resort to high thinking for the actor inside me. Firstly, I have never taken myself seriously as an actor. There is a reason why I re-launched myself as an actor. My director Vipul Mehta always used to say that it would have been great if we had this actor or that comedian for this role. I won't take names except Dilip Doshi, although he did work with me in two plays - JALSA KARO JAYANTILAL and CHHANU NE CHHAPPU KAIN THAY NAHIN. So, I told my director since we don't have Dilip, who else is available? Okay, I am available. It is painful to search for actors, so it is better if I become one. This is how I started playing such roles.
This gave confidence and support to the producer inside me. I get offers from outside but I refused because I have become an actor to strengthen myself as the producer. I started mentioning 'Sanjay Goradia Abhinit' in my plays. Since, I am a successful producer, nobody questioned me. But deep inside I knew this is not privilege or advantage; it's a responsibility. It means, regardless of bad writing and bad direction, I will have to perform. This is how I came to know about my strengths. I was also sad about my voice. I thought my voice was not as good as Nasseeruddin Shah. But one day someone said that he is able to recognize me because of my voice. Then I realized that my weakness is actually my strength; it's my identity.
Talking about being typecast, is CHHEL CHHABILO GUJARATI a cliched play? It isn't. At this stage, people expect comedy from me and I don't say no to it. I don't quite think I have been typecast. But even if we assume I have been, it doesn't matter to me as long as my admirers wish to see me. After MAARI WIFE MERRICOM, I am doing a play where I am not playing the typical Sanjay Goradia. I have tried to do something new. But this is not to prove something. I love my identity. I have gained popularity more because of the DVDs of my plays, whose clips are shared by people on Whats App and other mediums. But the credit for this goes to the stories, which are powerful.
KS: What is your opinion on the current Gujarati theatre scenario? What changes would you like to see?
SG: All regional languages are under threat. They will be forgotten. Whenever a Gujarati is cremated, we lose one audience member. The new generation doesn't know Gujarati. Thankfully, my DVDs are doing well. When I was in Sydney, a lady came to me and said her daughters are my fans and they have started speaking Gujarati after watching my plays on YouTube. Just imagine how great a compliment this is! A language stays alive only if it has some utility. What is the utility of Gujarati today? Everything is done in English and Hindi. So, once a language is forgotten, the plays in that language too will be. Simple! This is very normal and nobody is to be blamed for this. English language is used so extensively. I only pray that I don't live to see the death of Gujarati in my lifetime.
KS: Commercial Gujarati plays have had a special place among its audience. But do you think that the current lot of Gujarati theatre lovers prefer more experimentation?
SG: No, I don't think so. Manmohan Desai had rightly said - Logon ko ek nayi story chahiye jo iske pehle kain bar kahi ja chuki ho (People want a new story that has been told many times before). Javed Akhtar had also said such a thing. People want the same thing again. Even today if you wish to make a successful Gujarati play, you have to cater to audiences who are 35-40 plus years of age. That's it! If you make a play on the life of a youngster, not many people would turn up.
KS: Do you think doing commercial Gujarati theatre alone is enough for your bread and butter?
SG: Of course. I have built my house, bought a car and raised my son by doing commercial Gujarati theatre.
KS: Why has the audience not seen you much in Hindi films?
SG: This is because I have never knocked on the doors of film producers with my photographs. I have done only those Hindi films for which I have been approached. There, I was not a producer; I was just an actor. Those who have seen me act are convinced that I am a very good actor and I should be cast in lead roles. If not that, give him a good comic role. But nobody believed me. That's the reason I have been telling you that the producer in me has played the biggest role in making me an actor. If I get a good role in films, I will surely go ahead. But I will never plead for a role. That is below my dignity.
KS: These days Gujarati cinema is going through a transformation with films like 'Kevi Rite Jaish' and 'Bey Yaar'. So, are you looking forward to act in Gujarati films?
SG: I am surely excited about working in Gujarati films provided I land a good role. Recently I was offered a 2-scene role. I asked them to narrate the story. After listening to it, I plainly refused. I am not saying people should cast me in lead roles in films. I can take such risks with myself but I will never ask any other producer to do it.
KS: What would you like to tell your audience?
SG: Who am I to give anyone a message? If someone gives me a message, I will take it so that I get some clue for my growth. I am just a simple artist. I don't think I am qualified to give a message because I fumble and make mistakes even today. It is just that people are able to see only the brighter side. I don't believe in changing the flow. There was a time when we used to perform children's plays at Tejpal on weekends. Those shows used to be houseful with lots and lots of kids. But such plays don't take place any more. Why? Nobody is questioning! But you can't blame a single person for this. It is the system. At that time, there were black and white TVs with no cartoons. But today how can you compete against six cartoon channels? You can't. You shouldn't break the system because in doing that, you will be broken.
Keyur Seta is a freelance film and theatre journalist and a blogger. For him, life is a stage where we all play our respective characters.
Keyur Seta (KS): How did your journey in theatre commence?
