He loved acting, but never really imagined his talent would introduce him to the glamor world at an early age! Known child actor Rohit Phalke (19) hasn’t stopped and turned back since he did the film that went on to become successful! From movies to daily soaps and from short film to advertisements, he talks about a lot of things he has achieved and experienced in his little journey so-far! Below are the excerpts of the interview:
Suyash: You were only 15 when you auditioned and got your first film. Tell us about your entry into the industry.
Rohit Phalke: I used to perform in school plays right from the time I was in the first grade. One of my plays was directed by Ganesh Pandit. All the characters for Balak Palak were fixed except Avya (the character I played). A lot of auditions took place for Avya, but Ravi Sir was satisfied with none. To my luck, Ganesh Dada remembered and introduced me. I was auditioned thrice and finally selected.
Suyash: You debuted with Balak-Palak that went on to become a huge success and received many laurels. Did life take a turn post Balak-Palak’s success?
Rohit Phalke: I got a lot of recognition. The immediate response was overwhelming. But the response was a bit more six months after the release, as my college started. My Facebook account crossed the limit on the friend list, i.e. 5000, in a very short span. You see, the feeling you get when random unknown people of all ages acknowledge your work and performance is just indescribable. Sometimes while handling multiple chats on Facebook, I used to make my father sit as a stenographer as he typed faster than me. Ritesh Deshmukh being attached to the film, at one screening, we were in the company of the Bollywood big-shots. On that same screening, I was appreciated by Abhishek Bachchan, Shreyas Talpade, Govinda, Sunil Shetty, Ashutosh Gowariker and Ramesh Sippy. Shreyas Talpade had even called me personally to appreciate me and my performance.
Suyash: That’s amazing! Did you always dream of the film industry as your career destination? Were you always passionate to be an actor?
Rohit Phalke: I was very much passionate about acting, but entering the industry was not on my mind at that time. Actually, I had not dreamt of it that i would be a part of something so huge. People close to me used to think that i might enter the industry very early, but my younger brother, Rahul, caught the train before me. He had done two films prior to my debut. And coincidentally, he too, was introduced by Ganesh Pandit. And the thing is, there were not many films children were cast in during my school days, except Taare Zameen Par. Hence, I hadn’t dreamt of working in films. Children-based films started coming contemporary to Balak Palak – like Shala, Taryancha Bet, etc.
Suyash: And was this passion and confidence reinforced at home, or did offers you received do that?
Rohit Phalke: My parents have never forced me to do anything. Anything I liked doing was always happily supported by them. So, basically, various competitions and plays since kindergarten, and the offers I received have been instrumental in reinforcing the passion. Me, being a Phalke, I would say I was destined to do so. Because the year Balak Palak was released was the 100th year of the Indian Cinema.
Suyash: How was it entering the glamor world, which many dream about prominently at a young age?
Rohit Phalke: I would say I am blessed because i have seen many youngsters my age struggling for that one chance. Not a lead maybe, even a supporting one. And the competition is cut throat. And one more thing – if you get a chance, it is your responsibility to make the most of it. It is like you hit a six on a full toss ball. And I did that.
Suyash: Indeed. And Rohit, in this cut throat competition, you were swift in going behind the camera to write and direct Dadu. Tell us about that venture of yours.
Rohit Phalke: My college friends were proud of having me as their friend and were inspired by me to do something like me. Referring them to someone at that time was a tad bit difficult. So, I thought why not take this opportunity. I had been writing since ninth grade. I wrote the plot for Dadu and luckily my friends liked it. Thus, Dadu was successful. To talk about writing, I am always fascinated by relationships people have, especially father-daughter and mother-son. About direction, I had deliberately chosen non-actors, as I wanted to take it as a test to find out if I could bring out the thing I understood as an actor from some other person and if I could mould a rock into a sculpture. I also experimented a lot, like on the voice-over of the letter the girl is writing, mirror shot by avoiding the background and shooting in just two lights that you see in the frame (the table lamp and lantern).
Short films are a good stepping stone to learn how everything in the industry might be going on. Our generation being techno savvy, we don’t even need theatres to screen the films or high-tech cameras. Competitions even take place of short films shot on a mobile phone. I have one or two plans for short films in the pipeline, but I want to give them more time than Dadu as I want to improve. I recommend youth should go for short films as learning by self is the best method of learning. And instead of doing it just for fun, try implementing various production tools and writing tools by learning from the internet also.
Suyash: Rohit, you are only 18 and there are films you have been signed for. What else are you doing apart from films?
Rohit Phalke: I currently pursue Economics, Statistics and Psychology in Ruparel College, Mumbai. I am in the first year. Despite being busy the whole year with my career and other activities, I tend to score well in my academics. Apart from that, I read a lot, especially mythology and philosophy. I write Marathi poems, articles and stories and listen to music, especially Indian and Western classical and instrumental. I play sitar and keyboard and I am a self made opera singer. I watch Hollywood movies and serials to learn. Hollywood serials and movies have a lot of influence on me. So, I tend to visualize and act like them and try to deploy their style.
Suyash: But do you think simply deploying their style would be beneficial?
Rohit Phalke: It is not just deploying their style, it is what you learn while deploying the style. You need to experiment while trying to maintain simplicity. At last, originality with a touch of madness is what the world needs.
Suyash: You were also in the daily soap Be Dune Daha…
Rohit Phalke: I started doing the daily soap Be Dune Daha approximately a year after Balak Palak. The experience was great. I got to work with seniors, like Raja Bapat, Ram Kolhatkar, Rama Joshi, Sandhya Mhatre, Sonali Anand and Sunil Barve. I got to learn the concept of continuity a lot in depth by doing the serial because a serial runs for a longer time than a film. Not only character, but you also need to take care of yourself, your haircut, physique, skin, etc. Overall, I learned to take care of myself. There is a vast difference between the fame you get from films and serials because serials reach the remotest areas. When I go out of town, people tend to recognize me more as Neil from Be Dune Daha than Avya from B-P. When you do a serial and once it goes on air, you rarely get to watch your work. I used to rely on people’s reviews to know about how they like my work. And while working on the floor, having a huge cast of veteran actors, I got to learn something new everyday. Raja Bapat was associated with Vijaya Mehta, so he used to tell us his experiences as he was the most senior person on the set. Sunil (Barve) Dada had brought along his laptop and hard disk which had the recordings of the dramas of Herbarium so that I could watch them. I had also got a pat on my back and compliments for my performance by veteran Ravi Patwardhan.
Suyash: Rohit, the glamor of the glamor industry has been pulling toward it a lot of youngsters. As a teenage actor, what is your opinion and take on the industry?
Rohit Phalke: Today’s youth is balanced. The youth believes in hardwork and patience. And that’s what the glamour industry actually requires.
For me, the industry is good. It makes you dream big. It gives a lot, but also demands a lot. And one thing is for sure: the industry works a bit on luck also.
Suyash: A little while ago you told me that your parents have been supportive of you. Tell me, Rohit, is support from parents essential for a bright career? And why?
Rohit Phalke: Yes, support from parents is very essential for a bright career regardless of the field. It boosts up your confidence a lot. Many times the child remains in fear that the parent might not like his/her choice or will not support it. When the child realizes that the parents are supportive, the child tends to open up more.
Suyash: Actor Sunil Barve had told me in an interview that he is glad about youngsters wanting to watch Marathi films. It is also a fact that Marathi films are actually scaling and doing quite good. Being a young actor, how do you see this rapid change the industry has been/is going through?
Rohit Phalke: This was actually highlighted during B-P days because B-P brought the major youth audience back to the theatres. And today’s youth is multi-faceted. Not just films like B-P, but films like Katyar Kaljat Ghusli also getting a huge response from the youth itself tells about the rapid change in the industry. And it is good. I being inclusive in the youth, I appreciate this rapid change because the youth is my audience also. This change is dynamic, but it is the responsibility of the industry to maintain the youth audience and evolve further. Pure romance hasn’t been in theatres for a long time and luckily I am coming up with one.
Suyash: Which one is that, and which are the other movies you will be seen in?
Rohit Phalke: “Love Lafde”directed by Sacin Ambat is already on the verge of completion. I play the lead. And two other movies are also in the pipeline about which I am currently not allowed to tell much. Also, I have done a Public Service advertisement on eve teasing on which a lot of discussion is going on that the advertisement should be shown by every parent to their child. It is by Breakthrough In (NGO) and is a part of #shareyourstory campaign.
Suyash: Thank you very much Rohit for interacting with us!
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