While most actors look up to the silver screen for that unforgettable role that gets etched in public memory, famous Bollywood comedian Hemant Pandey, a.k.a. Pandeyji of comedy serial Office-Office fame, says it's television where he found this dream role.
“I may have done dozens of Hindi movies but none of it gave me the recognition. I had to tell people to see my work when the film comes on cable TV. But after Office-Office, wherever I travelled, even abroad, people instantly recognised me as Pandeyji,” says Hemant.
“The reach of television is immense,” adds the actor, who has films like Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein, Fareb, Krrish, Ready and Yaariyan among others to his credit.
What took him so long to get back to TV? “It is all destiny, I guess. When it has to happen, it does. Because I have been doing films regularly.”
The veteran actor was recently in the national capital to for the launch of his new comedy series Shankar Jai Kishan. The serial narrates the story of Kishan, a real estate agent, who is one of triplets and loses his two brothers in floods. In a bid to save his mother, a heart patient, he hides the truth from her and plays all three lives. In the show, Hemant plays the role of Kishan's scientist friend Babbar, who had given him the idea to lead three different lives and rescues him from tricky situations.
Talking about whether his co-actors and director made the most of his experience, he says: “Youngsters these days are extremely talented and know their job well. In fact, they inspire you to push the envelope further.”
For instance, he says voice-over-artist-turned-actor Kettan Singh, who is playing Kishan in the series, has inspired him a lot. “I have been working in the film industry for a long time, but I have rarely seen someone playing three different roles, which are as different as chalk and cheese, at the same time. And he is absolutely effortless and spontaneous in each one of them. Kettan encourages me to better my acting skills further.”
“Today if you want to do good work, you have to work with youngsters.”
Besides being excited about returning to television after a huge gap of more than a decade-and-a-half, Hemant is excited about his new look in the series.
“While I did not give any special attention to looks or make-up in the past, in the upcoming series I will be seen wearing headphones, flap goggles and spike shoes that emit light, and I feel good. It adds to the energy and I keep wondering why I didn't give heed to these details earlier,” concludes Hemant.
