Dilip Prabhavalkar: Did 'Hasva Fasvi' for my growth and learning- Exclusive

Acting maestro Dilip Prabhavalkar needs no introduction. The 80-year-old actor has taken a Marathi film, 'Dashavatar,' to the Oscar contention list with his merely exceptional performance. Known for his acting in films, namely 'Chaukat Raja,' 'Ratra Arambh,' 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' and others, Prabhavalkar has also tried his hand at theaters with his solo act play 'Hasva Fasvi.' The play was initially started by the veteran; later continued by Pushkar Shrotri. Though Dilip Prabhavalkar did not continue his theatre journey for a longer time, his short stint was promising and memorable.Talking about the play, Prabhavalkar in an exclusive conversation said, "Every new role has been a new experiment for me. I rarely repeat characters. I always look for four things in a role: it should be new, different, good, and challenging. I also tried theaters for some years, but that was also again for my growth and experience. I wrote, directed, and acted in my play 'Hasva Fasvi,' which was applauded by the audience. Each and every character from the play has its own place in audience hearts. It was a wonderful experience being on stage. We did almost more than 750 plays. Again, as I said, I do not repeat characters and look for challenges in the role. Each and every role I played in this solo stage act gave me a new challenge to invent and learn something new."He further explained, "Acting was never my goal! I come from a science background. I completed my B.Sc. from Ruia College, then my M.Sc. in Biophysics from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and even worked at BARC for a year. I wanted to be a scientist in genetics and molecular biology. Acting was merely a hobby that gradually turned into a profession. I never attended any acting school or formal training. Whatever I learned was self-taught, through observation, experimentation, and reading books like ‘Preparing for Being an Actor.’ Over the years, I’ve done experiments with my voice, gestures, expressions, and body language."Dilip Prabhavalkar's last outing, 'Dashavatar,' received worldwide praise for its outstanding story, direction, and acting performance. At the Box Office, the film collected more than Rs. 28 crore. The film was also released in Malayalam, where it earned a different set of audiences.