I won’t do TV now as one is bound by the channel and TRPs: Satish Kaushik

For actor and filmmaker Satish Kaushik, working with dear friend Neena Gupta after several years was an absolute pleasure. Shooting for his next, Kaagaz 2 in Lucknow, Kaushik also got to work with another old pal Anupam Kher. “With Anupam, we have been working on and off together but with Neena, I am working after almost 13 years. She is a very old friend of mine. We knew each other before our college days, as we both used to live in Karol Bagh in Delhi and had a kind of same upbringing.Neena has always stood for herself in a society which did not accept a lot of things back then. She lived on her own terms and made society accept her as she is and that is something I have always admired in her,” said Kaushik.
Satish Kaushik (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)
Almost a veteran now in the industry, Satish says he has seen and done it all in films. “God has been kind to me. I have been so consistent in the industry. I have tried almost everything; film, direction, writing, television, radio, events and now also web series,” he says.
“As a kid, I was crazy about movies and would always tell my mother ki main actor banunga. I once stole money from my mother’s bag and went to watch Dev Anand’s Guide. Cinema got into my mind and it never left. I used to love basketball, but I was short, so they did not take me on their teams. But coming to films, I remember Upkar made a great impact on me. I used to think about where these actors come from, what they eat, where they live. Back then, it was all a mystery, unlike now, from bank balance to relationship, now the audience knows everything about an actor. Actors in those days were an enigma, now they have become like one’s neighbours because of social media. There was a time when every movie created had a very lasting impact on the audience because very little was known about it before it was released. Now with promotion and all, the audience knows half the story.” avers the Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja (RKRCKR) director.
Satish Kaushik with Darshan Kumar while shooting a film in Lucknow (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)
Mention the film and Kaushik gives a pained smile. “That film was much ahead of its time. I feel had it released now, it would have been a great success. We had the top most actors of that time in the film. It was a setback for me then, but now when I see it as one of the most watched film on TV, I realise its worth. In fact, I am very proud of that film, kis scale ki film humne kab banayi thi! But then I also accept its failure with just as much responsibility. I can’t shy away from that and I never will. I didn’t put myself into that film. It was as if I wore DJs clothes with a film like that when I am a cotton ki shirt kind of person. Ab mere jaisa aadmi jag-mag kapde pehen le toh kahan suit karega. Wahi mere saath hua. My soul wasn’t in that film. Unlike Tere Naam where a character like Radhe was the kind I have seen in real life. . Those young men standing at the paan ki dukaan. I identify with that. I was not equipped to handle such a film like Roop Ki Rani...And somehow, I had back to back failures at that time. RKRCKR failed and so did Prem. But after that Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, and Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hain worked. So I always say embrace your failures just as one does with success,” says Kaushik, adding, “But those failures made me more passionate about my work. I am a passionate person and with passion one only grows ahead in his work. I made people look up and notice me in Udta Punjab, Soorma etc as an actor. As a director I made my comeback with Kagaz. Now I am making the second one.”
Once very popular on TV as a director, Satish has not be seen working for the medium since many years. Commenting on that Kaushik says, “Television requires a lot of time. TV is good when you are in the beginning of your career and you have that much time to devote to it. With movies and web series, I can complete the schedule in a much less time. So that’s why I prefer these mediums now. Also, as a filmmaker you have the freedom of creativity, on TV you are bound by the audience and the channels and TRPs, so many things. That I don’t want to get into now.”