Actor Pavan Malhotra, best known for “Black Friday”, “Jab We Met” and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, said he has managed to attain success through hard work and passion for cinema.
“I'm very lucky that something which started as a hobby became my profession, you can't be luckier than this, and I've survived for 40 plus years. In 1982, I came to Bombay on the 15th of March, at 4 o'clock, I landed here, with the idea that I’ll stay here,” Malhotra told PTI in an interview.
The 67-year-old actor said he had no idea while joining the theatre that he would end up in the film industry.
“When I started doing theatre, I didn't know that one day I'll land up in film industry in Bombay and I'll be working in films and I'll get main lead roles, wherein I'll be there from the first to last scene,” he said adding that moving to a new city and profession, isn’t easy and that there’s nobody “waiting at the airport or railway station to offer you work." Malhotra’s first-hand experience in movies was as an assistant in the costume department of Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi”. Thereafter, he served as a production assistant on films and TV shows like “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro”, “Khamosh” and “Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!” before venturing into acting.
He made his acting debut with Pankaj Parashar's 1984 film, “Ab Ayega Mazaa”, and went on to feature in films like “Anantyatra” and “Khamosh”, but it was Saeed Akhtar’s “Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro”, in which he played the titular role, that emerged as a career changer for him.
Reflecting on his career, Malhotra expressed gratitude for the accolades he has received, including two National Awards, for films “Fakir” (1998) and “Fouja” (2023).
“I decided irrespective of whether it is good, bad, ugly, I'm going to be here. If I'm not getting work as an actor, I will get into production, I will become an assistant, or do some odd job. When you come to the city, sometimes you don't have money to eat, but you forget all that, as all that is a part of life.
"I'm thankful to God but at the same time I’m amazed, ‘This happened to me’. When I look back, I didn't expect that I'll get two national awards and be part of films where I’ll be in a title role, or that I’ll do an English film. Destiny plays a big role, but you have to work so that you can get the results.” Despite his huge body of diverse work, Malhotra is largely remembered for his roles in films “Jab We Met” and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”. The actor said past successes are not a crutch to rely on and instead, they are stepping stones toward new opportunities, waiting to be explored.
“Past laurels, you don't want to repeat that because I want to work more; however, it feels good. Some films come and make lots of money, and go and people forget about them. You just try to be honest towards your work and do your best,” Malhotra said, adding that some people talk about his work in “Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro”, “Black Friday”, “Mubarakan”, and the TV show, “Nukkad”.
“I can’t live on that (past work), you’ve more stories to tell. For me every film and character is different. Even today, I get nervous before any project, your body language, your look, voice quality changes with the character, it can’t be the same with every character,” he said.
Malhotra’s latest work is the SonyLIV OTT show, “Court Kacheri”, which revolves around a reluctant young man (Ashish Verma), burdened by his father's (Malhotra) towering legacy, who finds himself thrust into the legal world he never wanted. And as a case tests his ideals, he must decide whether to flee the path laid out for him or reshape it on his own terms.
The veteran actor, who has previously acted on OTT shows like “Tabbar” and “Grahan”, said he chooses his projects purely based on instinct.
He shared that one of the reasons to do “Court Kacheri” was to work with the production house, TVF, known for creating notable series like “Panchayat” and “Gullak”.
“Besides, there are so many layers in this show, there's the courtroom, their elections, their relationship with cops, all that is happening, politics, their unions, etc. In all of this it (show) talks about the father-son relationship. So, any story, character which is with layers, it's always interesting for an actor (to do).”
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