Upanishad Ganga willinspire you to do bigger and better in life
So says theactor Vineet Singh who has donned more than 12 roles for this 52 episodeTV serial. Directed by Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi and Produced by ChinmayaMission Trust, Upanishad Ganga is apparently flowing with immenseknowledge from the past which will be shown to us by some very talented actorsfrom TV industry, every Sunday, 10:00 am on DD.
How didyou land into the remarkable characters of Upanishad Ganga? The first fewschedules of Upanishad Ganga were shot in Benaras. And I belong from there. Somy Hindi as well as Sanskrit is good. Director, Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi metme when I was there, and as he is very particular about the dialect, I guess hefound something in me that I could do justice to the roles.
A lotmany actors are playing more than one character in this serial. What about you? I get to play morethan 12 characters. My first character is that of a Narrator, a Sutradhar. Thenlater, I played Arjun whereas Abhimnayu Singh played the role of Krishna. Interestingly, I also play Tansen and havelearnt many songs that make so much sense! BuddhGupt, Shaista Khan were amongthe others that I played.
Tell us alittle about acting under Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi and the producersChinmaya Mission. Working with Dr. saab was a boon for me. I played more than 12 characters inthis serial, and learning different scripts for each was a task. But Dr. Jimade it very easy for all the actors, as the script was given to us much in advanceand we could approach him if we had any doubts. All the members of ChinmayaMission were helpful as well.
How was the atmosphere on the set? On set we would all be charged up to play the various roles. Many a time weactors would sit together and discuss how lucky we were to be given thischallenge and opportunity to play such distinct roles. We could explore so muchthrough one platform. And Dr. Saabalways had something interesting from our history to share with us that kept usall engrossed. The set was very lively and energetic.
How doyou think will the youth be able to connect with a serial like Upanishad Ganga? There are a fewthings that don’t leave us behind. Like, there are so many songs that onelistens to, but if you ask anyone of Twinkle Twinkle Little star, they wouldremember it. It’s because you’ve been hearing about it since childhood, and wemay not listen to it often but when you do you can instantly relate to it.Also, so many of us like to watch Malgudi Days and Mowgli till today! So, its the same with Upanishad Ganga. It has a message to take with us in thislifetime. The attire and language have changed, but the difficulties arepersistent even now.
What madeyou choose to work in Upanishad Ganga? The script, idea and concept. It’s a mix of various stories of great Indianhistorians who have made a difference in this world through their thoughts,acts and teachings. It was necessary for all of us to be aware about them. Thestories show us that one common thing which puts all the successful people togetherthat is the spirit to do something different. So there’s a lot of motivationand inspiration to gain from this serial, which is why I liked it so much.
Any goodmemory you take from working in Upanishad Ganga? Yes, for an episodeI was playing the character of Budhgupt. And everyone present on the sets thatsaw me said I resembled Naseeruddin ShahJi, because of the get up and look Ihad on for the role. That was quiet something! Being compared to veteranNaseeruddin ShahJi even if it were the looks! How did you get into acting? I had studied to become an eye surgeon. After completing my studies, Ididn’t wish to pursue it as a career, as I wanted to become an actor. So Ipursued my acting and have landed with some great roles. What are your upcoming projects? I’m acting in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur and Issak. Have alsoworked in Me Shivaji Raje Bolte and Lal baug cha paral.
What doyou have to say to the audience about Upanishad Ganga,which will air from March 11th? Well, all I have tosay is, if you want to know about your nation then watch Upanishad Ganga. You will realize what it takes to become suchgreat people. The ordeals and struggle that they have to overcome. It talksabout our history, touching topics like math, philosophy, science, geographyetc. Upanishad Ganga will inspire you to do bigger and better in life. You willcome to know what was there in Indiaback then. That makes sense, but shouldn’t the language be toned down a little to caterto the audience? Today, people watch Iranian, Russian, Japanese and so many other internationalfilms. Though they don’t speak their language, an effort is made to understandtheir tone, body language and dialect. Compared to those, I think UpanishadGanga will appeal to them as it is our own language. And of course, it has beenmade keeping in mind today’s generation. The credit of which goes to thedirector and the writer.
