Paresh Rawal, the critically acclaimed actor who has set high standards in the world of cinema, was in the city to stage a play, shaadi @ barbaadi.com, on the invitation of Ludhiana Sankritic Samagam.

Speaking with Newsline, he was all praises for the new trend emerging in Indian films which is blurring the line between art and commercial cinema.

“Indian cinema has entered into a golden phase. Mark my words. After seeing the recent release Kaminey, I am convinced that my future is safe in the industry. Directors like

Debakar Banerjee for whom I have acted in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bhardwaj and the whole breed of young directors have sidelined meaningless cinema and brought in new ideas with a fresh treatment of subjects, new writers, new sensibilities and great cinema,” he said.

Rawal added: “Today’s actors know that their audience is not dumb and that cinegoers are intelligent people. They can be served great subjects. And in making this possible, mutiplexes have a huge role to play.”

Also known as a theatre activist, Rawal shares an interesting fact with us.

He believes he feels more free as an actor on the stage rather than in front of the camera.

When asked for his take on the BJP government banning Habib Tanvir’s masterpiece Charandas Chor in Chhattisgarh, Rawal said, “I have just returned from South Africa and do not know much about the ban. Freedom of speech, according to me, does not mean that I have the right to abuse a person publicly yet at the same time we should have the tolerance to hear out what another person has to say even if it differs from our opinion,” says Rawal thoughtfully.

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