‘My dad was a salesman’

Satish Kaushik on his role in Salesman Ramlal, the play being staged today as part of the Times Pune Festival

VERSATILE: Satish Kaushik



AN actor and a fine director, Satish Kaushik is in the city to act in Salesman Ramlal, a play that talks about the life of an ordinary man with extraordinary dreams. A part of the Times Pune Festival, Salesman Ramlal is an Indian adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic, Death of a Salesman.

Kaushik, who plays the protagonist, says he loves challenging roles. He adds, “I love playing complex characters like that of Ramlal. Such roles tap the ultimate potential of an actor. Salesman Ramlal or Chanu in Brick Lane, they put you in a different bracket. These roles have helped me get acceptance as an actor.” The play has been running successfully for over ten years now. “The play has received loads of appreciation. I still remember the day Feroz (director Feroz Abbas Khan) asked me to be a part of the play. We have known each other since my Prithvi Theatre days. He always believed in me as an actor. He convinced me that I could essay such a complex role, and do justice to it.”

Since the play is an adaptation, did he read the Miller original? “I didn’t read it earlier as I knew the play, as it has been staged earlier too. But Feroz’s adaption is fresh, and it’s different from what has been done before. It has been formatted to suit today’s milieu, and has the ability to connect with everyone from any part of the world.” 

Does the play also have a comic element like many of his movies? “Yes. Although it is serious, it has a light-hearted feel to it. Playing Ramlal was very interesting as I could relate to him. It has many elements of my personality. My dad was a salesman, and I could feel his fatigue. I could connect to the role as there were a lot of shades of my dad in it.”

After having played many comic roles, the actor says that he struggles to show his diversity and range. “Because of my weight, I think, I get to play all kinds of comic roles. But I have been working out from last July, and lost at least 15 kgs till now. I am pushing myself to get fit. I guess a variety of roles will pour in thereafter.” Though we love him as Calender in Mr. India or Mutthu Swami in Saajan Chale Sasural, seeing more of him would be a great experience for sure.