State of 'extremes' to 'city of dreams'

PATNA: He had lived in a "jungle" and recently shifted to a "market" and his "vast experience" says everybody in Bihar is an "extremist".
"People here are men of extremes. If one is a student, he works hard to prove his brilliance. The same holds true for artists, scholars. Even criminals go to the extremes here," said film actor Makrand Deshpande here on Friday.
"People are very emotional and restless here.They want to do something big. The need is to tap their potential," he said.
"Manoj Bajpai is also an 'extremist', he can go to any extreme to prove his potential. There is fire in this actor," said Deshpande, who has acted in many films with Bajpai. Deshpande was here to attend the concluding-day function of the second Patna Film Festival and release of his directorial debut Hanan, which ran to a packed house on Thursday.
Deshpande, who joined the theatre in 1983 and whose film career began with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, visited Premchand Rangshala and Kalidas Rangalaya here on Friday.
"Premchand Rangshala is excellent, but it has not been properly maintained. If renovation work is completed there before October, I promise I will stage Karoron Mein Ek, one of my favourite plays, there," he said, adding the Bihar government should also hold big theatre festivals.
Incidentally, actor Manoj Bajpai, too, in 2002, had promised to perform at the Rangshala if it gets a facelift. Deshpande, who has carved a niche for himself in Bollywood by his unique, sterling performances in Satya, Sarfarosh, Jungle, Market and Swadesh, became a director with Hanan.
When asked about Hanan, he scratches his head and says: "My hair started greying the day Hanan was launched. I worked hard for it, but the film could not be released because of some problems. Finally, it was released in Patna. People's response was tremendous. They remained glued to their seat, watching the two-hour-forty-minute film non-stop, without even any interval. It has boosted my morale," he said.
Makrand, who has also represented the Mumbai Junior Cricket Team, has currently stopped "batting" in films and TV. "I am planning to direct one more film and will not act in any film or TV serial for the time being," he said.
He has no regrets that he rejected the role of “Circuit” in Munnabhai MBBS because of his busy schedule. "I don't dream and am not afraid of failures. An event fails, a human being never fails," he says philosophically, packing his bag to catch his flight back to the "city of dreams".