Sarabhai Vs. Sarabhai’s Rajesh Kumar found Roshesh’s voice in the bathroom, reveals ‘My audition went for 8 hours’

Sarabhai Vs. Sarabhai is a show that needs no introduction and Roshesh’s character is synonymous to show as well. While all the characters played by Ratna Pathak Shah, Satish Shah, Rupali Ganguly and Sumeet Raghavan, had their own fame, Roshesh’s character played by Rajesh Kumar has stood out owing to the comic flair. In a digital podcast, Rajesh opened up about how Roshesh’s character came to life and more.

I had got two episodes in Khichdi. That was the first time I attempted comedy. Aatish Kapadia, the writer, producer, director, made me play the role of a corpse (laughs). He didn’t really believe if I could do comedy. He gave me another chance to play the role of a gym instructor. Khichdi was very popular at that time.

That time Aatish said that they are coming up with something and he told me to leave my photographs. He called me over to his Pune bungalow, where Khichdi was being shot. He enacted the whole of Roshesh Sarabhai with voice and mannerisms and everything just bounced over me. I didn’t understand anything about the character. I kept looking at him and asked, “Who is this Roshesh?”

I told him to give me 15 days to do some research and then audition for the role. I roamed around the entire Town area in Mumbai to find Roshesh. That I should be able to spot someone like him. 15 days got over and I found no Roshesh Sarabhai.

After 15 days, I had to go for the audition. It was 2pm and for 8 hours I gave audition for Roshesh Sarabhai’s role. It was 10pm when it got over. Sometimes, I was getting the voice or the mannerism. Nowhere, were we getting the exact momma’s boy. There was a spark in 1-2 takes. From September we were supposed to begin. I got a shock when I heard the star cast and specially getting to play Ratna Pathak Shah and Satish Shah’s son.

I had to go for the look test and again, in monsoon season my hair becomes weird due to the moisture. We weren’t getting the look and angrily I combed my hair in the vanity and suddenly I realised we got his look. I got a photo clicked and showed them.

I had shifted from one BHK to 2 BHK. In the bathroom, whatever I would say, there would be an echo. Two days prior to the show, I found Roshesh’s voice while sitting on the commode. I was already stressed out. I finally caught the treble voice, saying, ‘Hello, hello, hello….” For two days, I didn’t speak in Rajesh’s voice. I kept speaking to everyone – right from maid, vegetable vendor to everyone in the building, in Roshesh’s voice. I didn’t want to lose it. I called Aatish in that voice and he okayed.

In the first few episodes, he wrote one scene in first episode and in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, episodes I had 1-2 scenes. He didn’t want to take chance with the character. The channel was supposed to launch. I had a poem on ‘Momma’. At the launch party, all the channel heads told me to recite the poem. They had all circled around me. That somehow, created a buzz around my character. Many people thought Sarabhai was my first project. They didn’t know I had been around for 5 years. Many also thought, Roshesh’s voice is my original. Then my character was slowly cooked. It was always on the slow burner.

Sarabhai happened for a good one and half year but the show flopped. Then again the struggle started. I didn’t really gain anything from Sarabhai. There was no social media but I learnt a lot as an actor. I didn’t get any work immediately because of the show. But I was married and had a house to run. I had the personal rapport with the makers and I went to JD bhai (JD Majethia). Thankfully, he was making Baa, Bahu aur Baby and I got that show, which went for 4 years. Everything was going fine.

A buzz around Sarabhai started around 2008. Everywhere I was going, nobody called me or recognised me for Baa, Bahu aur Baby, but they were all addressing me as Roshesh. Sarabhai was over 3 years back. Then I came to know that the show became a hit after it went off-air. In next 2-3 years, the show got repeated over 21 times. So many shows I did, social media happened and Roshesh’s character got massive recognition. Still now, the character didn’t get stale.

By the time I had got the voice of Roshesh, I got married. I told my wife that I was having this intuition that if this character works, it will establish my career in this lifetime. I had such a strong intuition that this will be my career best. Later, I came to know that Aatish had so much faith in me, nobody else was considered for the role. I was shocked and overwhelmed.