‘असरानी डायलॉग रटते नहीं थे, बल्कि लिखकर याद करते थे’: मनोज जोशी ने बताया क्यों उनके अभिनय का तरीका अनोखा था

Bollywood actor Asrani died on Monday after a prolonged illness. In a career spanning more than five decades, Asrani worked in more than 350 films. Actor Manoj Joshi, who has worked with Asrani in many films, while talking to Dainik Bhaskar, remembered him and shared many things about him.

Manoj Joshi said that Asrani… there was a discipline, an amazing energy and a humility in this name which is rarely seen in today’s times. The magic of his acting and his personality was truly amazing. I consider him more of a guru and a ‘legend’ than an actor and the basis of my opinion is the experience of about 10 films I spent with him, which included many of Priyadarshan’s successful films.

unique disciple of acting

Manoj Joshi told that Asrani ji’s style of acting was unique. He never used to memorize his dialogues, rather he used to write them with his own hand. When I asked why he does this, he said, ‘By writing, the words are remembered in their ‘form’.’ Just imagine, what kind of dedication is this towards one’s work.

He had a degree from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), he had been a teacher there, he had taught big artists of that era, yet his approach was never that ‘I know a lot’. He always worked with full dedication and discipline like a new person. It was this humility that made him great.

Manoj Joshi and Asrani have worked together in several films, including Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) and Chup Chup Ke (2006).

Has unmatched energy and timing on set.

Manoj Joshi told that he was really a disciplined actor. Even at this age, he had so much energy that young artists were surprised. He used to go for walking at 5 in the morning. This energy of his continued till the last moment, when he continued working till the last moment of his life.

His timing on the set was unmatched. He was always punctual. When the assistant went to call him, he would immediately come ready, even if other actors had not come. Despite being so senior, he was very caring towards others. Even during lunch break, he used to ask, “Just ask, let us eat.” His first priority was to ensure that no one faces any trouble because of him.

Talking about Asrani’s acting skills, Manoj Joshi said that Asrani Sahab had all the qualities required for acting: tremendous improvisation, timing and his excellent presence of mind.

His sense of humor and ability to observe things closely was superb. Even in normal conversations, he used to do such ‘character sketch’ of people, which was very subtle and dangerous.

His sense of comedy was such that I call him the ‘Sunlight’ of comedy. Apart from the scenes, he used to make people laugh with his presence of mind on the set. He had a ‘gibberish’ language, in which he used to add some strange words to Hindi, this also tickled people a lot. We had a great time with them, learned a lot.

Hitler connection of ‘Sholay’

Manoj Joshi told that Asrani told him many unheard stories. For example, his getup and particular style of speaking in ‘Sholay’ were written to be a satire on Adolf Hitler. His stumbling and speaking in a particular pitch were also part of the script.

He had told that ‘Sholay’ was not picked up for the first week. Then suddenly when I heard dialogues on the radio at a tea shop somewhere outside, I realized that it had started. And two weeks later, it remains a ‘legendary film’ till today.

Asrani ji worked with ‘giant’ directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Rishi Da) and Basu Chatterjee (Basu Da). He used to say that no one even called in front of Rishi Da. How brilliant was his role in ‘Abhimaan’!

The legend from ‘Black and White’ to the present

Manoj Joshi told that I worked with him in films like ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ and ‘Chup Chup Ke’. He never gave up even in the scorching heat during the shooting of the film ‘Kushti’, but the most important thing was that despite being so senior, he had “no pomposity, no trace of ego.” His aura was very wonderful.

He used to read a lot, do yoga in the morning and evening and also meditated spiritually. He was a deep thinker. His importance is also great because he remained active from the era of black and white films till the present. This is a big thing in itself.

We artists were always looking for opportunities to talk and learn from him. Every actor gets to learn from a ‘legend’ like Asrani Sahab like a disciple—be it acting or character study.

He also gave me an opportunity to work with him in the film ‘Aagaaz’ in the early 1980s. Asrani sir was very kind and the time spent with him was very pleasant. He has very good memories, and he used to tell such stories from the industry that the entire character would come alive in front of you. He was truly a legend. No one can deny them.