Asrani to play a miser in Sanjay Jha's play Welcome Zindagi

One of his signature lines in the play is 'Hey Bhagaban Utha Le'. The veteran actor Asrani is known for his comic timing, so it should be a fun watch

Veteran actor Asrani will be seen in Sanjay Jha's upcoming play, Welcome Zindagi. He plays the role of a miser who does not care for the family's needs. One of his signature lines in the play is 'Hey Bhagaban Utha Le'. The veteran actor is known for his comic timing, so it should be a fun watch.

Fan or not, most cinelovers remember veteran actor-comedian Govardhan Asrani for his "Jailor" scene in the 1975 hit "Sholay". A reenactment of it in his play "Makhichoos" comes after almost 43 years, reminding us why the thespian is loved both on screen and stage. "Makhichoos" -- an "Indianised" adaptation of the French classic "The Miser" -- is an 80-minute Hindi play centered on the parsimony of protagonist Topan Lal, and has Asrani play the lead. It was staged at Shri Satya Sai Auditorium at a mall in Noida in September.

Sporting a traditional Himachali Topi and kurta jacket, the 77-year-old infused a vibrant energy onto the stage, and brought alive the character of Topan Lal, a miserly widower, who, in the process of finding spouses for his children, ends up in a comic confusion. As two love stories develop as sub-plots in the play, a money-minded Topan Lal's 10,000 buried gold coins are discovered and stolen. The show culminates in a win-win for all.

The play's director Pranav Sachdev, who also played Topan Lal's son, said the idea to induct the classic scene from "Sholay" was his. From "Angrezon Ke Zamane Ke Jailor" of "Sholay" -- a role etched in the memory of most Indian filmgoers -- Asrani became "Angrezon Ke Zamane Ke Kanjoos", and reenacted the scene in the same voice. Performing to a packed house, the "Hera Pheri" star was as expressive on stage as he is in films.

How different is acting for the stage and for film? Asrani maintained that there is no room for retakes in theatre, and said that the technique changes according to the medium. "It is the same actor in theatre and cinema, just the technique of acting changes," he said.

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