Raghubir Yadav: I Dislike The Term 'acting,' Since The Goal Is To Capture The Essence Of A Character

Film industry veteran Raghubir Yadav claims that using the word “acting” to describe a job devalues it since it involves on a “spiritual journey” to comprehend a character’s motivations.

The National School of Drama (NSD) graduate thinks it’s crucial to delve deeply into people, even if doing so means exploring unfamiliar territory.

“I loathe the word acting because I find it to be quite risky. It diminishes the profession’s standing. Isse main napasand karta hoon, acting lafz mere liye bada khatarnak hai. Iss se kaam ka darja gir jata hai) In my opinion, it’s about getting to know the character and embracing the part. In the event that someone says, “Yadav Sahab, thoda zara iski acting kar dijiye.”

“So, it is performing a part and not getting to know a character’s spirit. You must embody the persona and seize its essence. I like delving deeper,” Yadav said in an interview with PTI.

The 66-year-old revealed how, on Nana Patekar’s instruction, he spent some time with actual addicts while practicing for Mira Nair’s 1988 film “Salaam Bombay!” in which he portrayed the role of a heroin addict named Chillum.

Even though I don’t smoke, I had to take on this position. Nana forced me to sit with drug addicts even though I had never smoked, so I would simply watch them. Acting is like meditation and spirituality (Acting bhi ek tarah ka adhyatma hai). I continue to learn, and I sense that I want to explore for more such experiences,” he said.

After earning his degree from the NSD, Yadav relocated to Mumbai and made the 1985 film “Massey Sahib” as his debut. He was recognized as best actor at the Venice Film Festival and also won the FIPRESCI Critics’ Award for his work in the film, among other major honors.

The actor, who was born in Jabalpur, went on to portray a variety of parts in movies including “Dharavi,” “Bandit Queen,” “Lagaan,” “Firaaq,” “Peepli Live,” “Newton,” and “Pagglait,” among others. He also appeared in noteworthy TV episodes like “Mungerilala Ke Haseen Sapne” and “Mullah Nasruddin.”

With series like “Panchayat,” “The Great Indian Murder,” and the film anthology “Ray,” Yadav has also been given a canvas on which to create intriguing characters as a result of the proliferation of digital channels.

Through my characters, I have lived a lot of different lives. Every character we portray in movies or plays has to have a soul and a spirit. Each character is unique. It involves delving into the details. You adopt the character’s behavior, he remarked.

Yadav recalled a moment in his career when he was subjected to attempts to categorize him as a comic and stated he would sooner “starve” than repeat himself.

“I wouldn’t do something I didn’t think was right. Nothing I do should offend my viewers, please. This is something I picked up from the theater, where many stalwarts would starve to death (bhookhe mar gaye) but never did anything they didn’t believe in.

The actor’s next film appearance will be in Pratik Moitro’s thriller “Minus 31 – The Nagpur Files.” Yadav portrays a retired police officer whose daughter, played by Rucha Inamdar, who is also a police officer, is looking into a murder.

He said that he was especially drawn to the father-daughter dynamic in the movie.

“It was a lot of pleasure for me to participate in the movie, and the love and humor between the father and daughter was wonderful. It was a terrific experience since I really felt like a part of a family while making this movie. I think a good movie comes out when you’re having fun doing it,” he said.

Nisha Dhar, Rajesh Sharma, Jaya Bhattacharya, Kaambhaari, Santosh Juvekar, Shivankit Parihar, and Debashish Naha are included in “Minus 31” as well.

On Friday, Orangepixel Studios’ film is scheduled for release.