Rajesh Jais recently about the challenges faced by actors in theatre and his journey from Oh Darling Yeh Hai India to Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar and Rana Naidu.
Rajesh Jais on Theatre, Cinema, Media And Web Shows: Rajesh Jais has a Bollywood career spanning more than 25 years. The actor who started his acting journey with theatre has also been associated with the NSD (National School of Drama). Rajesh has worked in television shows, mainstream cinema, ad commercials and has also worked in popular web shows such as TVF – Aspirants, Paatal Lok, Tanaav, Rana Naidu and others. He was recently seen in Luv Ranjan’s Ranbir Kapoor-Shraddha Kapoor starrer rom com Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar as well. The Rana Naidu actor spoke about his acting journey and love for theatre in an exclusive with India.com.
Q. From starting your cinematic journey in films like Oh Darling Yeh Hai India to the recently released Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, how do you see your journey as an artist?
It was quite interesting and full of learning. Actors hailing from small towns come to Bollywood with a dream. They undergo a lot of hard-work and long-term preparations to fulfil their aspirations. When I left my hometown Ranchi to pursue my ambition then media wasn’t the way it is today. There were not many television channels except Doordarshan. I joined NSD around 1988 and then DD-2 came up and further led to a plethora of platforms. At that time there was not much respect for people from the entertainment industry. Today, we have earned that much amount of dignity from the society. It was a roller coaster right, but we should take it in our stride and that’s how we learn. If you are turning your passion into your profession, then the setbacks and hurdles don’t matter. It becomes difficult only when you do not like your profession. I feel struggle is a wrong word because everybody goes through their share of struggle in life irrespective of their jobs. Even journalists have their own struggles in their career.
Q. In the initial days of your career you have worked as a journalist in a Ranchi-based newspaper and later joined NSD. How has your journalism and theatre experience helped you in shaping your craft?
Journalism happened when I was in college, and it was a very short span of time. When you are young you go through a lot of biochemical and social changes including the equation with your own family. In the college campus you have a bigger friend circle with whom you hang out in the canteen and other places. As your expenses start increasing you don’t feel like asking for pocket money from parents because of self-respect. The desire to earn money pushes you to take up a job. The questions like ‘What am I?’ and ‘Who am I?’ arise within you. We go through a period of self-exploration where we try different things. So, that made me attempt journalism. At that time, it was a highly regarded profession which commanded a lot of respect and honour. I also trained in NCC (National Cadet Corps), practised shooting and did paragliding. Later I joined the Dramatic Society in my college. There was a lot of focus on social reforms, Marxism, underprivileged sections of society which got me interested in drama. It felt as if I was doing something meaningful and we also did street plays. I realised that this is the best thing I can do where I am also contributing to the society. When there was no social media and television channels were few, merely by doing street plays I decided that theatre is going to be my profession. Hats off to my guts (laughs). I got to know about NSD (National School of Drama) from my mentor Ajay Kumar Malkhani who is not retired from Marwari College, Ranchi. To get myself enrolled in NSD required a draft of Rs 1300. So, I dropped the idea of going to NSD and opted for IIMC. When my friends came to know about it, they arranged the amount without informing me. They told me you are going to NSD, and you have to become an actor. I had a lot of respect for teaching so after NSD I gave the UGC NET exam and cleared it in first attempt. Teaching and banking are the only two professions where after working hours you get the time for doing theatre as well. But I was destined to be an actor. Saurabh Shukla and Anil Chaudhary brought me a ticket for Mumbai as they were shifting their base. Irrfan had already left. So, me, Saurabh, Anil and Vijay Krishna Acharya were all there. And that’s how life took off from there at its own pace.
Q. You have worked in both commercial entertainers and hard-hitting web series like Paatal Lok and Rana Naidu. As an actor what do you find more challenging?
The most challenging aspect of acting is theatre. Currently I am a part of a play which is a big production called Mughal-E-Azam. It’s a kind of Indian Broadway. We have done more than 300 shows in India, USA, Canada, and many other countries. During live shows there is no scope for retake, and you cannot utter even one word wrong. In cinema you can take as many retakes as possible. Even after so many years of experience being on stage is the scariest part. Every new show seems like your first act.
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