Amol Palekar was last seen in the Marathi film Samantar with Sharmila Tagore.
Hyderabad:
Veteran actor and filmmaker AmolPalekar, who has stopped acting in films, is ready to returnto the silver screen if a challenging and exciting role camehis way.
"I have not acted for 22 years now. But, I did come outand act in one of my own films, Samantar, a Marathi film.One of the biggest attractions in that was, not only my actingagain, (but) Sharmila Tagore acting in a Marathi film.
"So, me and Sharmila Tagore was a different kind of anattraction for all the people. But I did that role onlybecause I got excited about that character," he said, talkingto PTI here.
"I thought here is something new, something differentwhich I have not done and I have a chance to do that. If andwhen I get that kind of an offer, to do something different,something exciting, something challenging, of course, I willdo that," said the actor, who regaled the audiences in 70s and80s with his roles in middle-class romantic comedies.
Palekar, a former chief of Children's Film Society ofIndia, is in the city for the ongoing 18th InternationalChildren's Film Festival of India.
He said he and his wife Sandhya Gokhale, a writer, wereworking on a children's film currently.
The couple had earlier made Dumkata, a child-centricfilm, which had Om Puri in the cast and music byShankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Observing that commercial aspect cannot be a reason fornot making enough children's films in the country, Palekarsaid successful mainstream directors and filmmakers shouldmake an effort to make these films commercially viable.
"Instead of just saying children's films are notcommercially viable, make it viable. Try something new. Trysomething different.
"If you are going to follow set pattern, market wantsthis, so I will keep on giving that. That is (only) one way ofreacting to the market," Palekar said.
Asserting that parameters of commercially successfulfilms never remained constant, he expressed confidence thattalented directors can make commercially successful children'sfilms as well.
"I am quite sure that people, who have so much knowledgeand capacity to rule the market and to change the rules andtake it to a further higher level, they are capable ofchanging the market for anything and everything (includingmaking children's films commercially viable).
"You have to find some different idea, some differentslot and some different niche," he said.
Regretting that children's films and children haveremained a neglected area, Palekar said there should be acollective effort by the society, instead of expecting thegovernment to do everything.
"We all must feel that let's make child our focal pointand try and create the best possible atmosphere, the bestpossible world for our children... if we can create that, wewill have a much better tomorrow and we will also feel verysatisfied."
"I have not acted for 22 years now. But, I did come outand act in one of my own films, Samantar, a Marathi film.One of the biggest attractions in that was, not only my actingagain, (but) Sharmila Tagore acting in a Marathi film.
"So, me and Sharmila Tagore was a different kind of anattraction for all the people. But I did that role onlybecause I got excited about that character," he said, talkingto PTI here.
"I thought here is something new, something differentwhich I have not done and I have a chance to do that. If andwhen I get that kind of an offer, to do something different,something exciting, something challenging, of course, I willdo that," said the actor, who regaled the audiences in 70s and80s with his roles in middle-class romantic comedies.
Palekar, a former chief of Children's Film Society ofIndia, is in the city for the ongoing 18th InternationalChildren's Film Festival of India.
He said he and his wife Sandhya Gokhale, a writer, wereworking on a children's film currently.
The couple had earlier made Dumkata, a child-centricfilm, which had Om Puri in the cast and music byShankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Observing that commercial aspect cannot be a reason fornot making enough children's films in the country, Palekarsaid successful mainstream directors and filmmakers shouldmake an effort to make these films commercially viable.
"Instead of just saying children's films are notcommercially viable, make it viable. Try something new. Trysomething different.
"If you are going to follow set pattern, market wantsthis, so I will keep on giving that. That is (only) one way ofreacting to the market," Palekar said.
Asserting that parameters of commercially successfulfilms never remained constant, he expressed confidence thattalented directors can make commercially successful children'sfilms as well.
"I am quite sure that people, who have so much knowledgeand capacity to rule the market and to change the rules andtake it to a further higher level, they are capable ofchanging the market for anything and everything (includingmaking children's films commercially viable).
"You have to find some different idea, some differentslot and some different niche," he said.
Regretting that children's films and children haveremained a neglected area, Palekar said there should be acollective effort by the society, instead of expecting thegovernment to do everything.
"We all must feel that let's make child our focal pointand try and create the best possible atmosphere, the bestpossible world for our children... if we can create that, wewill have a much better tomorrow and we will also feel verysatisfied."
