It may sound surprising but seasoned actor Pankaj Kapur, known for doing offbeat films such as ‘Maqbool’ and ‘Blue Umbrella’, confesses that he entered show business aiming to be like late superstar Rajesh Khanna. “I wanted to become an actor for films. My only idol was Rajesh Khanna. That was the kind of cinema that was reaching me in Ludhiana (Punjab),” Kapur told IANS in a candid conversation here. But the 58-year-old’s perspective about the art of acting changed after he joined the National School of Drama (NSD) and met Ebrahim Alkazi. Casually dressed in a trouser and sweater and looking at ease, Kapur shared, “With god’s grace, I got selected in the National School of Drama and met Mr. Alkazi, who opened our minds to the world theatre, world cinema and world painting. In terms of creativity, we were exposed to everything that was available.” He was so smitten by the world of theatre that he turned down his father’s offer to buy him a place in Mumbai, India’s entertainment capital. “My father asked me if he should by a one-room space in Mumbai because eventually I will have to go to Mumbai. But I asked him, “Who wants to be in films?” I loved theatre and wanted to spend all my life in theatre,” said the actor, known for his powerful performances. At the beginning of his career, he got films such as Aarohan and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, but the earning was not enough to keep him going. And the financial constraint pushed him towards television and accept Karamchand his first TV show that made him a popular face in 1985.
