Actor Raghubir Yadav, known for his brilliant performances in the entertainment industry, gets candid with The Pioneer, discussing his art, being typecast, and more.
Tejal Sinha
When we talk of good actors, or, let’s say, great actors, it’s not always about the ones who you personally adore or enjoy seeing but the ones who steal the show even with less screen space. While we have many such actors who just need a minimum of a minute to make a mark, we have Raghubir Yadav, who hasn’t necessarily been a part of the main cast, but still, one can’t ignore him while he’s on screen.
Having lived life with the attitude of an eternal learner, he has always believed that when you are open to learning constantly, then life too becomes very enjoyable and rewarding. Hailing from a rural background where there was not even a school that children could study in, he only recalls the most about his childhood—driving a bullock cart and taking the buffalos for grazing. So how did the interest in the art grow? “My interest in the arts began to grow due to my exposure to Ramleela, and then the transition to theatre happened. For about six years, I travelled like a nomad as a theatre artist and understood what the life of an actor entails. I grew hungry for more creative challenges and decided to choose acting as a profession. I have absolutely enjoyed this profession because an actor gets to live many lives. As an actor, you get to understand the feelings of another character and inhabit its soul. There is a certain spiritual aspect to that process. Then, of course, I went to the National School of Drama and stayed with the NSD Repertory for over 10 years. I also got opportunities to act in films, and today you know me as Raghubir Yadav, the actor,” says the Massey Sahib actor.
But guess what? According to him, acting is the most dangerous word for him. Why, we wondered, and so the Lagaan actor explains, “The moment you hear the word ‘acting’, you begin to act. The point is not to act but to inhabit a character, immerse yourself in it, and live it. You have to do all this in such a way that it doesn’t seem like acting. If you are only acting like a character, then there is no authenticity or realism in your performance. You will either hit a higher note or a lower one. Most often, you will touch a note that is higher than needed, and this is why I recommend taking the word ‘acting’ out of the vocabulary. Yes, you can learn acting, but when you become an artist, you should weed out this word from your consciousness.” Well said! But then, what is it when we talk of acting a character and/or getting into the soul of a character?
“It is hard to totally immerse yourself in another character,” shares the Aaja Nachle actor, who to date has played several characters but doesn’t think he has become one with any. So, “To totally commit to a character, you must think about it and remain tuned into it whether you are eating or sleeping. When I get a character to play, I keep reading it until I can hear it. And then, as I begin to see it, it gains a certain physicality and a certain voice, and just like that, slowly, I strive to reach its core. Then, of course, I perform it, and yet I can’t say that I have ever fully disappeared into the character. I have not been able to go beyond 60%. Whenever I look back at a role, I feel a lot was left undone and I could have done better. In this lifetime, getting 100% perfection is not possible. Acting is an ocean, and the more you dive, the deeper it gets. I read, I see, I hear, and I look for the core of the character through a certain process. If I don’t find the truth of the character through this process, then I look for another way. Sometimes, blending two different characters helps bring a role to life. Once the outline of a part becomes clear, I try to imbibe it within.”
There was a point in his life when he did the show Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne, and the perception grew that he could only be a comedian. And thus, “I removed myself from this space and also rejected many films. After working for so many years with NSD Repertory and learning so much, I was not going to relegate myself only to comedy. I wanted to do varied characters. Once you get typecast, success may come easier, and you may sign autographs, but then your creative life will be over. I didn’t want that. There is so much to do still, and one life seems inadequate for everything that I want to do as an actor.”
He has performed as an actor and singer in over 70 plays and about 2500 shows. Now back with Zed Theatres Bagiya Bancharam Ki, the Sui Dhaaga actor is, however, thrilled that the play is reaching a larger audience than before. Going ahead and describing the nuanced aspects of his character in the teleplay, he says, “Bancharam is a very loving person and has a lot of integrity. He nurtures trees and flowers like his own children, and he doesn’t want to lose them. His intention is very transparent. He believes the plants in his garden are his children, his life, and his world. And then an ill-intentioned person begins to covet this garden, thinking that Bancharam will die soon as he is in his twilight years. But what happens next is the exact opposite. It is the ill-intentioned person who dies, and Bancharam, whose conscience is clear, continues to live happily ever after. A long life becomes meaningful when you live it in a positive way. Bancharam has this quality. He loves nature, lives in it, and breathes in its beauty. Who can kill such a person?”
Regardless of what language it is translated into, he believes that the play will have the same powerful impact on the audience.
So at least with this exclusive chat, it is obvious that only when he is excited to read, hear, and perform a character does he choose it. “I gauge first whether I will enjoy this work because if I don’t relish a part, it won’t please the audience either. Whenever I read a script, I look for a sense of enjoyment, and if it is missing, I don’t choose it,” shares the Yaatris actor, who is currently working in Panchayat season 3 and has also wrapped up a film called Hari Om and been a part of the recent Netflix show Railway Men.
When we talk of good actors, or, let’s say, great actors, it’s not always about the ones who you personally adore or enjoy seeing but the ones who steal the show even with less screen space. While we have many such actors who just need a minimum of a minute to make a mark, we have Raghubir Yadav, who hasn’t necessarily been a part of the main cast, but still, one can’t ignore him while he’s on screen.
Having lived life with the attitude of an eternal learner, he has always believed that when you are open to learning constantly, then life too becomes very enjoyable and rewarding. Hailing from a rural background where there was not even a school that children could study in, he only recalls the most about his childhood—driving a bullock cart and taking the buffalos for grazing. So how did the interest in the art grow? “My interest in the arts began to grow due to my exposure to Ramleela, and then the transition to theatre happened. For about six years, I travelled like a nomad as a theatre artist and understood what the life of an actor entails. I grew hungry for more creative challenges and decided to choose acting as a profession. I have absolutely enjoyed this profession because an actor gets to live many lives. As an actor, you get to understand the feelings of another character and inhabit its soul. There is a certain spiritual aspect to that process. Then, of course, I went to the National School of Drama and stayed with the NSD Repertory for over 10 years. I also got opportunities to act in films, and today you know me as Raghubir Yadav, the actor,” says the Massey Sahib actor.
But guess what? According to him, acting is the most dangerous word for him. Why, we wondered, and so the Lagaan actor explains, “The moment you hear the word ‘acting’, you begin to act. The point is not to act but to inhabit a character, immerse yourself in it, and live it. You have to do all this in such a way that it doesn’t seem like acting. If you are only acting like a character, then there is no authenticity or realism in your performance. You will either hit a higher note or a lower one. Most often, you will touch a note that is higher than needed, and this is why I recommend taking the word ‘acting’ out of the vocabulary. Yes, you can learn acting, but when you become an artist, you should weed out this word from your consciousness.” Well said! But then, what is it when we talk of acting a character and/or getting into the soul of a character?
“It is hard to totally immerse yourself in another character,” shares the Aaja Nachle actor, who to date has played several characters but doesn’t think he has become one with any. So, “To totally commit to a character, you must think about it and remain tuned into it whether you are eating or sleeping. When I get a character to play, I keep reading it until I can hear it. And then, as I begin to see it, it gains a certain physicality and a certain voice, and just like that, slowly, I strive to reach its core. Then, of course, I perform it, and yet I can’t say that I have ever fully disappeared into the character. I have not been able to go beyond 60%. Whenever I look back at a role, I feel a lot was left undone and I could have done better. In this lifetime, getting 100% perfection is not possible. Acting is an ocean, and the more you dive, the deeper it gets. I read, I see, I hear, and I look for the core of the character through a certain process. If I don’t find the truth of the character through this process, then I look for another way. Sometimes, blending two different characters helps bring a role to life. Once the outline of a part becomes clear, I try to imbibe it within.”
There was a point in his life when he did the show Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne, and the perception grew that he could only be a comedian. And thus, “I removed myself from this space and also rejected many films. After working for so many years with NSD Repertory and learning so much, I was not going to relegate myself only to comedy. I wanted to do varied characters. Once you get typecast, success may come easier, and you may sign autographs, but then your creative life will be over. I didn’t want that. There is so much to do still, and one life seems inadequate for everything that I want to do as an actor.”
He has performed as an actor and singer in over 70 plays and about 2500 shows. Now back with Zed Theatres Bagiya Bancharam Ki, the Sui Dhaaga actor is, however, thrilled that the play is reaching a larger audience than before. Going ahead and describing the nuanced aspects of his character in the teleplay, he says, “Bancharam is a very loving person and has a lot of integrity. He nurtures trees and flowers like his own children, and he doesn’t want to lose them. His intention is very transparent. He believes the plants in his garden are his children, his life, and his world. And then an ill-intentioned person begins to covet this garden, thinking that Bancharam will die soon as he is in his twilight years. But what happens next is the exact opposite. It is the ill-intentioned person who dies, and Bancharam, whose conscience is clear, continues to live happily ever after. A long life becomes meaningful when you live it in a positive way. Bancharam has this quality. He loves nature, lives in it, and breathes in its beauty. Who can kill such a person?”
Regardless of what language it is translated into, he believes that the play will have the same powerful impact on the audience.
So at least with this exclusive chat, it is obvious that only when he is excited to read, hear, and perform a character does he choose it. “I gauge first whether I will enjoy this work because if I don’t relish a part, it won’t please the audience either. Whenever I read a script, I look for a sense of enjoyment, and if it is missing, I don’t choose it,” shares the Yaatris actor, who is currently working in Panchayat season 3 and has also wrapped up a film called Hari Om and been a part of the recent Netflix show Railway Men.
