Theatre has given me the opportunity to be versatile: Atul Parchure

Atul Parchure has carved a niche for himself as a comedian with films like Billu, All The Best and Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap, but the actor longs for the audience to recognize him as a versatile actor.“I want myself to be known as an actor who does comedy as well as serious roles. Ek side toh logon ke saamne aa gayi hai, doosri side laane ki koshish hai meri. I’ve done serious roles in theatre and a few films, but they went unnoticed. Baat yeh hai ki jab aapke comedy roles popular ho jaate hain, toh sab log chahte hain ki aap comedy hi karein,” says Atul, who was in the city recently, adding, “I’m doing a film called Pappu Ki Pagdandi, which will be released in December. I’ve a realistic role in that. It is a very contemporary film.”Besides television and films, Atul is a known face in Marathi theatre too. “I started doing theatre in the year 1979, when I was 11. My first play was with Nana Patekar. After that, I continued acting in school and college and gradually moved onto commercial theatre, where I got some very good roles. Sometime back, I did a play called Waah Guru, based on the book, Tuesdays With Morrie,” he says, adding, “Theatre has given me the opportunity to be versatile, jo filmon ne abhi tak nahi di hai. But I’m sure that with each passing film, I’ll get that opportunity.”