Manu Rishi Chaddha: On moving from theater to OTT and films, Manu Rishi Chadha said – I enjoy freedom – manu rishi chaddha interview who talks about theater life national school of drama

Manu Rishi Chadha is an Indian Actor, Lyricist, Script and Dialogue Writer, who has been active in Hindi films for a long time. Rishi has been trained by theater director Arvind Gaur for six years. He won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award in 2009 for ‘Oye Lucky’. He also received the IIFA Best Dialogue Award for this movie. Now in a conversation with Shubham Tripathi of NavbharatTimes, he has talked about the world of theatre. What have you said? Let’s tell.

Manu Rishi Chadha worked with a theater group in Delhi for a long time and even today he considers theater as a penance. But in this, economic crisis often arises in front of the artists. What is the reason for this? On this Manu Rishi says, ‘I believe that theater is a penance in itself. When you feel that I have to do something in the acting world, then you start theatre. But nothing is found in the process of learning. However, if seen only from the point of view of money, now things are changing. I am not that much connected with theater in Delhi now. But I think theater has started earning now.

‘This should not happen in Delhi’

He further says, ‘Professional theater has grown a lot in the last 10 years. But yes, if we talk about the level of art form, there is National School of Drama in Delhi and separate studies of theater are done there. So the actors who do that study, it should be their moral responsibility that after doing that study at government expense, they should do theater for at least three years. They should take theater forward as an art form. Firstly, there are artists like us who do not get a chance to go to NSD, so they do amateur theatre, they grow in their craft. But one thing happens that you are being educated on government expenditure, so it should be your moral responsibility to contribute to the development of this art. The facilities that are available in NSD are available in very few places. But soon after getting the degree, people come to Mumbai. The desire for glamor and money disturb this austerity of the theatre. He does a good job here too but yes the theater gets a bit helpless. This should not happen in a big city like Delhi where there are NSDs.

‘The new generation is less in love with theatre’

After all, how can theater be made better? In response to this, Manu Rishi Chadha says, ‘It should be a rule that after doing NSD, you should do theater there for three years and enrich the theater form at the international level. But the problem is that if we say this, they will say that you alone will earn money! But someone should ask them that when a few people got admission in NSD, we were not there in it. And it is also true that the love of the new generation towards theater is less. And now the theater will run only on God’s trust. There are many old artists who are doing theater even today, but the new generation runs away in such a way that don’t ask. At the level of art, step-motherly treatment is being given to it, but at the individual level, it is everyone’s own choice whether they want to do theater or not. But if a small number of people get admission in NSD, then they should also be given the responsibility of theatre.

‘Dialogues are now conversations’

Manu Rishi Chadha is also a dialogue writer. There was a time when the dialogues of films used to go on people’s lips, but if we look at today’s films, there is hardly any dialogue that stays on people’s lips for a long time. About this he says, ‘Now everything has become normal. Everything has become like a conversation. It is better if deep things come out in the conversation. Now if you think that if I am giving an interview, then there should be dialogues in it, then people will not enjoy reading the interview. Cinema has changed, so now there is no clapping on the lines, but the audience sees the overall performance. Regarding the songs, I believe a little that everyone has their own choice. There are different types of songs today, so it doesn’t matter if a song from a single film doesn’t play.

‘I respect all mediums’

Manu Rishi has worked in both film and OTT. He says, “Both the mediums influence me a lot. When I was shifting from theaters to OTT, I did not know how it would be there. But I enjoy the freedom within OTT and also enjoy the content. Whereas in films, I enjoy the deal I came to see. So it is the combination of both the things that allows the artist to survive today. And we have to work continuously. I always wanted to be an actor who keeps working, doesn’t wait. I want to do TV too, that is a different matter that I could not get a chance in that. So I have a lot of respect for all mediums. If the content is good then you cannot underestimate anyone. In both you have to tell the story well. The advantage of this is that now there is no target audience but everyone has their own audience. If the industry is growing due to this, then what else is needed.

‘The country should progress so much that no one has to go out’

These days Manu Rishi is seen in Zee5’s web series ‘United Raw’ with Sunil Grover. In this series, he has played the role of a Pakistani man who keeps Bangladeshi and Indian man in his house. Regarding this series, he says, ‘In this people from all three countries live together. We artists can unite all the three countries in the same way. He adds, “When we were shooting in London, we used to meet raw people (those who live illegally trying to become permanent citizens), but they would hardly talk. It is very interesting that even though people there are raw, they live with their feelings that one day they will be ripe and then they will bring happiness to their home. Poverty and innocence live with such people. I want our country to progress so much that none of our people have to go there and work. But even if someone has to be called, he should be called with respect. He also calls when he is in need. The problem is that where the raw people should live there and how to manage their expenses. Then the refugees are also kept there. So there is sympathy with the refugee, he is also legal, while the raw people live there illegally.