An exclusive Darshan

Renowned theatre actor Darshan Jariwala, after having played the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Anil Kapoor’s ‘Gandhi My Father’, has won further acclaim.

“I think the most difficult aspect of playing Gandhi was being aware that the person you are playing is a father and also the ‘Father of the Nation’. Being conscious of this larger than life persona was a great responsibility,” Darshan recalls.

Apart from doing justice to the character, making sure that you also look like him was no easy task,” he adds.  Interestingly, the actor even lost 18 kilos for the role. “The physical appearance of the character had to be believable. It’s the motivation of playing such an important character that makes you leave no stone unturned. You want to do justice to the role,” he explains.

Coming back to theatre, his first love, Darshan says, “The reason why Gujarati theatre has still managed to survive and thrive in a city like Mumbai is because it enables the artists to earn a decent livelihood,” adding, “The Gujarati crowd has a lot more spending power. They also prefer and encourage theatre over other forms of leisure pursuits.”
 
Though Darshan claims that theatre runs in his blood, making a mark for himself was anything but easy. At the onset, he alternated between being a chartered accountant and a stock broker. “It’s not easy when you come from a typical middle-class Gujarati family. The dominant mindset to have a business of your own and also my parents wanting me to pursue education turned me into a CA.  Since the idea of practising didn’t appeal to me, I turned to stock markets. However, I soon realised I wasn’t meant for that either,” he explains.

Yet another theatre artiste from the family, Darshan and Apara Mehta’s  (actor) daughter Khushali, is creating a buzz. “She is currently acting on stage. However, her long term goal is to make a mark in creative writing,” he ends.

—h_vikas@dnaindia.net