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From warplanes to LoC
Avtar Gill... touching people's hearts. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt.
AS A young lad he had a fascination for warplanes. He would watch with great keenness fighter planes zooming past in the skies and nurtured an ambition to become an Air Force pilot. His mother vetoed the idea to take up this dangerous profession and he like an obedient son buried his dream. However, fate had other things in store for him. Meet actor Avtar Gill.
At New Delhi's Intercontinental Park Royal, to publicise the serial "Ehsaas - Kahani Ek Ghar Ki", slated to start this Monday on DDI, he says matter of factly: "I am a character artiste. Whether it is a small or big role I try to give my best shot." Just when you think that joining the bandwagon of films must have been a well thought out strategy, he tells you: "I am totally a film buff. I watched K. Asif's `Mughal-e-Azam' 30-40 times and won't mind watching it as many times again. I have had my share of highs. I have starred with legendary actors like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan."
Gill says: "In `Ehsaas' I play the character of Ved Prakash Singhania. A businessman, he has a friend in Dharamchand, played by Kiran Kumar. Like in real life, both of us are good friends, talk on a daily basis, in this serial also we are shown as great buddies. Besides this we are business partners. However, due to some misunderstanding a rift takes place between us."
Beyond this he doesn't like to divulge much. Is this a villainous role? He looks at you in a flabbergasted manner and replies in the negative. His bemused expression tells you that he doesn't like being labelled as a villain though he has had his share of villainous roles in Bollywood.
Isn't it true that in a majority of films you have played a cop? He concurs this time. Says he: "Yes this is true. But in `Major Saab' I didn't play a villain. I obstruct Amitabh Bachchan from crossing over into civilian territory because as a police commissioner I cannot allow him to contravene the law. When I performed with Bachchan in `Shahenshah' for the first time I was quite nervous. But after ten films with him this nervousness has disappeared. My tenth film, "Baghban" with him, will show me as a bank employee."
Gill is looking forward to J.P. Dutta's "LOC". Says he: "I play the true life character of Rajputana Rifles' Lance Naik Chaudhary, who survived the Kargil war. War movies move me. I get tears in my eyes whenever I watch Akshaye Khanna singing `Sandeshe Aate Hain' in `Border'. Such films are believable and are an effective medium to touch people's heart."
MADHUR TANKHA
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