Rajesh Jais has been in the industry for over 28 years. The actor has equally proved his mettle as an actor in all mediums. From films like Sonu Ke Titu ki Sweety, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Raazi, Raman Raghav 2.0 to OTT shows like Paatal Lok, Panchayat, Scam 1992, Rajesh Jais has done it all. The year started on a positive note for the actor as he was recently seen in Jehanabad-Of Love & War, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Rana Naidu.
The actor sat down with News18 Showsha and talked about his equations with Luv Ranjan, the backlash that Rana Naidu received, the current landscape of OTT and much more. On being asked about working with Luv Ranjan again after Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Rajesh Jais shared, “Working with Luv Ranjan is like peace of mind and coming to home. He pampers me so much. He is such a loveable director that whenever I get a call from him for a project, I don’t have to think twice before saying yes. As actors, we have a lot of consideration prior to saying yes to a project but with Luv Ranjan, it’s very personal. It was a very cordial atmosphere on the sets. It was more personal than professional so I liked that. Shraddha Kapoor is a bubbly girl. Very loveable, affectionate and well behaved. And I have worked with Ranbir Kapoor in Rocket Singh. He is well cultured and that shows since he comes from a family like that.”
Rajesh Jais plays Shraddha Kapoor’s father in the rom-com that has been soaring at the box office. The actor who has essayed the role of a father in several of his previous projects opened up about whether he feels typecasted by it. He shared, “I have played a father to female leads in soap operas. Perhaps it’s written on my face that I am a girl’s father. Perhaps they have a perception that I can pull off a role that of a cultured and well-behaved father with ease. Myy last television gig was back in 2013 where I played Shashtri Ji and I had four daughters. But then the same kind of roles were offered to me in mainstream cinema. But I cannot complain. I am here to act afterall.”
He explained, “My forte was comedy. I started my career in India’s first daily soap Shanti. I use to do a role named Naanu. That was purely comedy. It became popular and established. And then I did another comedy show which led to me getting typecasted. since production houses used to call me and offer me comedy roles. I had a lot to offer as an actor so I used to feel bad. I am open for bigger horizon. I took sabbatical at the cost of my career. Getting typecasted severely reduces shelf life of an actor. After 6-8 months I did a different kind of role and continued doing it for a while and then I took another sabbatical. Then the negative phase started. I use to play negative characters but eventually got bored from that as well. Then I started getting characters that were greyer in shade. In the meantime OTT happened and actors like us got a playing field because of the content. It’s the king.”
The actor talked about the contrast in his characters in Jehanabad-Of Love & War and Rana Naidu. He explained, “I have done weirder characters than Rana Naidu but it never grabbed any eyeballs. Because independent projects and short films have a niche audience. But had I done those kinds of roles in mainstream films and projects, I would have been in a different place altogether. Jehanabad was again a different character. That was not an author-backed role at the time of the narration. Every other character had strong sketch lines. So I gave my character an abstract mould in Jehanabad. I played this father who was a comfortable conformist, who is not confrontational at the time of conflict or decision making. He is conscious, well aware and educated but doesn’t want to get in an argument. He is not stupid. He understands. He even calls his wife out over casteist related comments. He doesn’t have male chauvinism and he is sensitive. People like this exist.”
Elaborting about Rana Naidu, Rajesh Jais shared, “Before agreeing to play my character in Rana Naidu, I was skeptical. I asked the director whether he wanted me on board since it’s totally different from what I usually play. Then we worked out something. I had watched Ray Donovan. To understand the zone of the character.
That series was made according to the American sentiments and culture. But to understand the milieu and the story and the narrative of the original show, you won’t be able to perfect the character in an Indian adaptation. Then I picked references from five and six real life personalities to make that character more authentic and real.”
Recalling an incident on the sets, Rajesh Jais said, “When the first scene with Rana Daggubati was about to be shot with me, he said his dialogues and I was waiting for a cue from him. He said Sir Line. I said I was waiting for your cue. He said I’ve already said it. So I asked him ‘you said it in Hindi or English’? His reply was ‘I said it in Hindi’. Now the thing is, his Hindi dialect was of a different kind so I got confused whether he was delivering his dialogues in Telugu or Hindi. And then I had to stay extra cautious about his Hindi dialect and dialogues. He is a very pleasant person to work with and he is very cool.”
Rana Naidu has unanimously received love from the critics for its gripping storyline and impressive performances by Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh Daggubati and others. The web series also made headlines over the use of profanity. Weighing his thoughts upon the criticism, Rajesh Jais explained, “We are living in the largest democracy in the world. And this a very beautiful democratic country. There is so much diversity and they all co-exist. And the constitution has given everyone right to put their views forward on so many different government platforms. There are legitimate ways of expressing dissent. So times are changing, world has become a global village. We can wear Western clothes. We can consume western food. We can take Western medicines and there’s no issue at all. Par ab ye baat aati hai sanskriti pe, sanskaar pe, lingo pe. Definitely we are poles apart. We are also proud of our culture. But then to stay relevant in the global market, we are copying everything that the west do as well. We are importing their lens, technology, screenplay, writing styles, presentation. If we don’t make something like that, then people would stop watching projects that are made here.”
He added, “So because of that competition to excel in the global framework, we have a show like Rana Naidu whose production quality is at par with the Hollywood series. Technically, it looks rich. Now the expletives in the show are being digested by some and not digested by others . This is a predicament and a dilemma that our society is going through. Should we upgrade to that level? The question is while we are copying West in all aspects of life, is it necessary that we copy their lingo as well? There is a big dilemma.”
The Mili actor further expressed his thoughts on the predicament, “Everyone has the right to do what they want to do in this constitution. But how are you protesting is what matters. You shouldn’t be harming public property, burning buses , creating a ruckus. At the end of the day, it’s people’s tax money. Use your wisdom. If you don’t like something. Approach a proper podium to register your dissent. OTT doesn’t come under the blanket of CBFC. Hence politicians have advised to self regulate. There are no laws but there are guidelines. In future if a rule like that is imposed, then people will complain that you are curbing our freedom of expression and speech. We select people we elect people. They are learned and wise enough to make sound decisions. There should be a rational solution which appeases both the people on the spectrum. Whether it’s creating a dedicated OTT platform for adult content or anything.”
“This is not the time of spoonfeeding and moral policing. It’s a generational thing. We are artists. We can express the most complex of things in metaphor. Our language is artistic language. It’s not only entertainment but infotainment. We are telling stories on social issues through films.As an actor, I am not of the opinion of offending any caste creed culture.traditon or custom. Film-makers should also be held accountable for what they make and how it impacts someone. There should be self-imposed checks and balances. There should be dialogue and conversation. Burning busses property is like cutting your own tree branch. People should also be aware when they are being used, manipulated and catalysed by the system. Change cannot be stopped but because of that change we can’t fight with each other,” he added.
Rajesh Jais also quipped about the rampant campaigns targeting Bollywood on social media. The actor expressed, “People who think Bollywood is bad and they are trying to shut it down and say all the bad things for the industry. I’ll ask them to educate themselves about the entertainment industry. It’s stands on a strong foundation of people who are well educated. It might be the case that .000001% of them are taking drugs but then again everybody is taking it these days. Just because we happen to vulnerable, we are soft target. Anyone can come and say anything on our face. anyone can throw stones at us. If you levy the same kind of accusations and things against any political leader, you’ll receive a backlash in the form of office mein aag laga dena, ghar mein aag laga dena. They have muscle power. But we are vulnerable. We don’t send goons. There are so many teetotallers in the industry who might not drink but if the role requires them to drink, they’ll drink. That’s his character. How can you forget that? And even then we give disclaimers that it is injurious to health. Why don’t they take these things into consideration? You start targetting actors. From what I’ve read recently, the allied industry related to the film industry has 60 lac people employed who are directly and indirectly dependent on the entertainment industry.”
He emphasised, “We have electrons, carpenters, drivers, cooks. Then there are those who make reels, videos etc on their handles and YouTube channels. We also have post production, VFX, graphics. So if you are able to succeed in shutting down the industry, do have any plans or system in place to give employment to those 60 lac people? As it is, the unemployment rate in the country is on an all time high. When these 60 lacs people become liability on the society, where will that tax come from? We file tax. There is no black money in the industry. Our contribution to the GDP is 15%. And then they speak about shutting us down? Entertainment was the go to medium for people amid pandemic. We entertained people. It’s not like we are useless and that’s why we became actors. Do not take exceptions from the industry and make it an example out of it or paint everyone in the same shade. They only see our glamour all the bling. But take a deeper look in our lives and the kinds of problems we have to navigate.”
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