Mahabharat actor Surendra Pal: Done a few mytho shows but my roles were immensely popular
Actor Surendra Pal says his tryst with mythological shows have been much lesser than the social shows but his roles in the former have become ajar and amar!
Veteran actor Surendra Pal is best known for his mythological characters such as Dronacharya in Mahabharat (1988) and Daksh Prajapati in Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev (2011). However, the actor says that his tryst with such shows have been much lesser than the social shows.
“In the last 35 years, I have done over 10,000 episodes for different television shows and most of them have been based on social themes. But the characters I played in mythological shows did become larger than life and got me well connected with the audience. Those characters will live on even after me...ajar, amar ho gaye hai woh! Whichever country I go to people come to me showering a lot of respect and many still call me by those character names. It’s a great thing for an actor,” says the 70-year-old actor.
Pal says that social shows have been his forte always. “I am shooting almost every day and currently four of my shows are on air Teri Meri Dooriyaann, Saavi Ki Sawari, Na Umar Ki Koi Seema and Corporate Sarpanch. Next month, another show Ramayana will roll out where I play Rishi Vashisth. So, I am doing all genres be it fantasy shows (Shaktiman), family drama, comedy and historical,” he says.
Last seen in feature film Rangoon (2017), he has done a film after a long time. “I don’t get time for films as I am shooting for TV literally every day. I chose to play a king in the feature film The Legacy of Mahaveer as it had a beautiful social message and I love associating with such projects which are meant for a family audience and have something for society. Besides time, another reason to do less web shows are the violence, abuses and nudity they showcase. I have featured in one OTT show Made in Heaven (2019) so far,” says the actor.
This festive season, Pal is excited to play Kumbhkarna. “Since last many years I’m regularly part of some or the other Ramlila. It started by playing Ravan in Delhi and this time I am again travelling to the same city. Such events are an integral part of our culture and how much ever busy I may be, I take out time to be part of it every year,” he concludes.
