Pawan Chopra says that he had never planned to enter showbiz. However, actor Sanjeev Kumar becomes quite an inspiration for him.
“Frankly, I had never thought in my wildest dreams that I wanted to become an actor, but yes, I loved what Sanjeev Kumar would do, and I thought I wanted to act like him. Now, whenever I watch his films again, his naturalness and lack of undue drama, as well as the subjects of his films, are simply mind-blowing. So, Sanjeev Kumar has been my inspiration,” he says.
He adds, “My Guru, Shri Ebrahim Alkazi, is my role model. Every step I take, my way of life, my life as an actor, and my way of thinking are influenced by him. He was highly educated, a learned man who knew so much about all forms of art, and the immaculate way he would carry himself left a deep impression on me.”
However, he says that he has had no mentors in his life. “Sadly, I didn't have any mentors, and no senior has ever guided me. Even if I asked someone for guidance, none was given. I had to learn in the field. It becomes difficult if you don't have a mentor or anyone to guide you. I meditate and am a little spiritual, so for me, God is my mentor. Mentors are very important. You don't have much time to waste. Most of the time, those of us who are not from the industry waste so much time in hit and trial. Sometimes we do the wrong kind of projects with the wrong kind of people. The industry is not very organized, and sometimes it feels like shooting in the dark,” he says.
But where acting is concerned, he has quite the benchmark for himself, says the actor, adding, “The reason is that I am an Alkazi student. Naseer, Om Puri, Anupam Kher are his students. I have set certain goals, and when I achieve them, I challenge myself and raise my benchmark. As long as I'm alive, I will try to achieve the highest standards of acting.”
Meanwhile, Pawan adds that acting is not an easy feat. “Emotional scenes are very problematic. One wrong note, and it goes haywire. I understand the character first and then their emotions. I try to find that emotion from my life. I try to play that emotion as naturally as possible. The chance is when you play very real, you may encounter many more layers of emotion. Then, I feel acting becomes rich, and the audience relates to you and loves you. Yes, sometimes I use glycerin if I couldn't manage to get a tear out, but only if my director feels it's necessary,” he says.
“We actors have a very difficult life. We play so many characters that sometimes we forget our real selves. We are humans and face a lot of emotional disturbances. But then, we are trained actors, and when we play a character, we forget ourselves and become one with the character during a shoot. I received sad news that my father had passed away. I informed the director, and he asked what we should do. I said, ‘Let's finish work first’. The show must go on, irrespective of what happens. Sometimes, on set, if colleagues receive bad news or have any health issues, we all try to be very sensitive and cooperative because the show must go on,” concludes Pawan Chopra.
