22-June-2012 PRIYADERSHINI S.
CHAT : Veteran film and theatre actor Mohan Agashe talks about how Kochi proved a turning point in his career and about his efforts at using cinema in health education Mohan Agashe surprises you when he says, "I am not acting when I am on stage." The silence on the other end of the phone, during a telephonic interview with The Hindu MetroPlus , is followed by guffaws. He also informs you that the finishing touches of his make-up for a play to begin in the next ten minutes are on. But he will talk. A career spanning more than four decades, in theatre and films, how does it feel when the curtains go up? "It feels like a woman going to her mother's house, maikke ja rahi hai . I feel that way. It is almost sensual, a complete feeling." That is Mohan Agashe, a seasoned doyen of the field. But he is that and more. Another side to him is his successful career as a doctor of psychiatry. He has advised and charted a mental health plan for the government of Maharashtra, trained and set up mental health centres and continues to work, post retirement in 2005, in the field. In the city to perform in the play, Aadhe Adhure at JTPac, his first play in Hindi, which has successfully run all over the country, Mohan feels a close connect with the city. "Kochi is a special place for me," he says. Earlier this year he was in the city for a National Conference of Psychiatry. Last year he made trips for the shooting of Shaji Kailas' King and the Commissioner and way back in 1977 he was here for the National Drama Festival. . His sterling performance as Nana Phadnavis in Vijay Tendulkar's seminal play, Ghashiram Kotwal , staged at this festival, proved to be a turning point in his career. "Till then my theatre was in Maharashtra. After performing here the play moved on to Kolkata, Delhi and took centre stage. It was never the same after that. It was Ghashiram that eventually brought me to films." Shyam Benegal cast him in Nishant in 1975. He moved into the art cinema orbit, working with the most illustrious names in the industry, Satyajit Ray, Gautam Ghose, Govind Nihlani, and Mira Nair, to name a few. >From art films he moved on to mainstream films, "to a completely different >experience," doing roles in Subhash Ghai's Trimurti , Yash Chopra's Mashal >(82). Mohan also did two Canadian films and a role in an American film. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990. Mohan's first film with Ray was Sadgati , a tele film by Doordarshan. "He was so meticulous," recalls Mohan about Ray. About his formula of combining art and science together in his life, Mohan puts it very simply: "I work in the hospital during daytime and the evenings are for theatre. In my spare time it is films." But more than such a simple time table and routine, Mohan is a man of the mind. He believes that each one of us can survive somehow. "But if you want to make your survival meaningful then one must venture into something that enriches your life". And the obvious enrichment to him comes from the stage. Not surprising because Mohan lives in Pune, which has always prided itself on a vibrant theatre culture. He recalls that in 1975 he was a part of a dedicated troupe, the 'Amateur Theatre Group', which later became the famous, 'Theatre Academy'. It had stalwarts like Jabbar Patel, Satish Alekar, besides several other reputed personalities. As a founding director of Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health (MIMH), as an adviser to the government on related issues, his collaborative work with Grips Theatre, Berlin on children's theatre, as director Film and Television Institute, India (FTII), 1997 Mohan has managed to combine his loves - cinema and mental health- in a unique programme. "Currently, I am doing 'cinema for health and health in cinema'." Citing examples of films like Thanmatra, Taare Zameen Pe, A Beautiful Mind , etc, he says his plan is to scout for such films and propagate the use of cinema for the awareness of health education. "Instead of books I am using cinema to spread awareness. A handful of good filmmakers are enough but we need 100 good teachers of cinema. I am teaching how to use cinema for health education." Mohan is fascinated by the Malayalam film fraternity, of the likes of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G.Aravindan, Shaji Karun and many others. But at present he is suitably impressed by the young filmmakers of short films from Kerala. "The digital revolution has democratised filmmaking. Short films made by young filmmakers from Kerala are commendable," he says. But he still insists that he does not act on the stage. Of course, we know, he's a NATURAL. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article3552399.ece -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
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