“I am 90 per cent different from what Tenali Rama is. In personal life, I am a loner and reserved person. Tenali Rama is full of energy and is always happy doing naughty and mischievous things that I have never done in my life, not even in my childhood. So, it takes a lot of effort to play Tenali Rama,” says Krishna Bharadwaj, while explaining how different is he from the protagonist in new folk drama Tenali Rama on Sony SAB. In the 90s, Vijay Kashyap played the legendary jester poet who was known for his wit in the court of emperor Krishnadevaraya.
Not in a mood for comparisons, Krishna, known for his performances in highly admired shows like Jasuben Jayantilal Ki Joint Family, Sukh By Chance, R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya , is keen to play Tenali Rama with conviction in order to make him relatable to viewers.
Excerpts:
On playing the main lead role in “Tenali Rama” which is coming on television after 25 years
It is a milestone in any actor’s life to play an immortal character like Tenali Rama. The generation to which we belong need some characters like him to come on screen, not because it is humorous but because there is has lot of philosophy hidden behind the wit and funny things that Tenali Rama says or does. The problem in the earlier and present generation are still the same, the way Tenali Rama solves all the problems is something to look forward to.
On his role
I have interpreted the character of Tenali Rama in a way that it is similar to that of Lord Krishna. It took little manipulation, the character is fun-loving and at the same time very philosophical.
According to me, Tenali Rama is 99 per cent like Lord Krishna and I have prepared this role keeping Lord Krishna in my mind.
On his preparation
When I got a call after an audition for Tenali Rama, there was a condition that if I get this role I have to get my head shaved and it was a very bold step for any actor as we have vanity. So, this was the first step I took towards the character.
I was told to watch episodes of 1990’s Tenali Rama on YouTube but I didn’t do it deliberately because I did not want to copy anything. I wanted to do it in my own way.
Also, the writing id very good as it is helping me in performing my character very well.
