Audiences woke up to his talent when he tickled their funny bone with his antics and impeccable comic timing in a comedy show on television. Several shows and a couple of films later, Krushna Abhishek has emerged as one of the most prominent comic talents in the country. In this exclusive interview, he talks about his new film ‘Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle’, sixteen year old journey as an actor, why films have more longevity than TV, desire to explore other genres as an actor and forthcoming projects.
You made your debut as an actor with the film ‘Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat’ in 2002. How, do you think, you have evolved as an actor?
When you are doing your first film, you are not aware of most of the things about your craft. I was very raw when I did ‘Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat’. Now, with time and experience I have become confident and a better performer. Even when the camera is not on and I am not required to act, I keep doing certain things to sharpen my skills.
Your second innings in films started with ‘Bol Bachchan’. After that, one got to see you in films like ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Kya Kool Hain Hum 3’ but you have done only a handful of films. Why is that?
Television makes it difficult for me to do films. TV keeps me busy, so I find it difficult to make time for films. I got a couple of good offers which I could not accept because of time constraints. I was offered ‘Chasme Baddoor’. I really wanted to do the film but I was busy with a TV show and would not have been able to allot forty days for the film. Akshay Kumar had asked me to be a part of ‘Boss’ too. Even then, I did not have time. Also, you do not get a lot of money in films. I thought television has given me stardom, money and a lot of work. So, I might as well stick to it for some time.
One hears the phrase ‘Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle’ several times in the trailer of the film. What is its relevance in the film?
If you watch the trailer carefully, you will realise that nobody has said this line verbally. Everybody is saying this in their heads ‘teri bhabhi hai pagle’. The film is a situational comedy. Every man wants to get the woman, so they are trying to outdo each other to get her. In the end, somebody else takes the woman. There is a fourth man in the film. You have to watch the film to know who that is.
Your last show on television was ‘Drama Company’. What are you planning to do on television now?
We are planning to come up with another comedy show. It will be different from what we have done in the past. We are working on developing a few concepts but have not finalised anything as yet.
In the last couple of years, English comedy has become quite huge in India. There are a lot of stand-up comedians who have gained stardom through the internet. How do you look at this trend?
Digital is becoming quite big. I do not do English comedy. I specialise in doing comedy that the masses love. A couple of English comedian had come on ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ but they had to be replaced as the audience prefers watching Hindi comedy on TV. Anil Kapoor made a show like ’24’ on a huge scale but it could not match up to the ratings of the saas-bahu shows. In India, unless you make content that appeals to the masses, it will not work. If you want to make an offbeat film, you make a film like ‘Black’ which is performance-oriented and has good content.
Do you watch any show on the web? Are there any comedians whom you like watching?
I do not follow English comedians. I like watching old comedy films. I love watching the films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Kishore Kumar and my uncle Govinda. I am a big fan of Boman Irani too. He has done a variety of roles.
Kapil Sharma had stated in an interview that he wants to do films as they have more longevity. People will forget a TV show after a while but will always remember a film. Would you agree to that?
Absolutely. Today, when I meet people they might not mention the name of a show I have done but will always praise me for my performance in ‘Bol Bachchan’ or ‘Entertainment’. Even when I turn fifty, these films will continue to be telecast on television. ‘Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle’ will release in theatres, After that, the producers will sell its satellite, digital and home video right. People will be able to watch it on television, internet or DVD for several years.
You have mostly done comedy roles. Would you like to explore other genres as an actor as well?
People mostly offer me comedy roles. That is the reason you only see me doing comedy. The audience has also accepted me in this genre and they will not accept me in other kind of roles at the moment.
Ritesh Deshmukh did a film like ‘Ek Villain’ in which he played a negative role, very different from the comic roles he was playing back then. Would you like to do something like that?
Ritesh did that after being in this industry for ten years. After people accept you wholeheartedly as an actor, you can afford to experiment. I want to do a variety of roles but directors do not want to take that risk. They only offer me comedy roles.
What’s next?
I am doing a couple of films. I have just finished shooting for a film called ‘Time Nahin Hai’. It has the same cast as ‘Malaamal Weekly’.