'A struggling actor once came to me and told me there's no work.'
'I said when there's no work, that's when you have a lot of work.'
'He said he didn't understand.'
'I explained that you have to keep reading, watching, writing, traveling.'
'It is like riyaaz for an actor.'
Jitendra Joshi is a household name for Marathi audiences, thanks to his widespread work in cinema and theatre.
He cemented himself as a familiar face to national audiences when he took on the role of Constable Katekar in Netflix's Sacred Games.
Since discovering Joshi, Hindi makers have featured him in OTT and film projects, including Thar, Betaal, Cartel, School of Lies, Ulajh and most recently, Agni.
"I am not someone who would promote his work via PR. I don't even have a PR team. I believe that if you do good work, good work will come to you organically. I have reached where I am today with that belief," Jitendra Joshi tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com.
At the Agni trailer launch, you passionately spoke about the lives of firefighters. Did you get a chance to meet real-life firefighters to understand their world?
Yes, I did visit fire stations and meet some firefighters and officers.
The first thing that hit me was how challenging their profession is, even though it might look easy.
When people see fire, they run away from it. But these people run into it.
You need physical as well as incredible mental strength to do it.
The fearlessness and insanity that these people show in their profession is something else. Despite that, I feel we, as society, don't give them the respect they deserve.
Of course, they will never say this.
I really hope that after Agni people will salute the firefighter whenever they see one.
Sacred Games made people from outside the Marathi industry take notice of you. How much did that show change your life?
Nothing much, really.
You think that once a project is successful, people will start asking for you. But it doesn't always happen that way.
I am not someone who would promote his work via PR. I don't even have a PR team.
I believe that if you do good work, good work will come to you organically.
I have reached where I am today with that belief.
How did Agni happen for you?
Vijay Maurya (who wrote the dialogue for Agni) had told me about this film.
He made this really good film recently, Mast Me Rehne Ka.
He told me about the role and said that Rahul Dholakia wants to cast me.
I had gone to meet Rahul sir and I was lucky to find this role. There was no audition process.
The length of my role is not that much. But you will enjoy the film.
Are Hindi makers aware of your work in Marathi when they approach you?
There are a few people who are aware, like Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.
But it doesn't matter if the makers are aware of your work or not.
I was chosen for Sacred Games through audition. I auditioned for Thar also.
Sometimes makers want to see if you fit the character.
I don't have any ego about giving auditions. There's no harm in it.
Do you remember your initial days in the industry?
I had come in Mumbai in 1997 and have been working since.
I started with theatre, then moved to films. I have done things at my own pace in my career.
It takes time for people to take notice of you, but things happen eventually.
It is important to have patience.
With so many Marathi actors and film-makers working in the Hindi mainstream, do you think the industry is waking up to the regional talent?
Yes, of course.
Things are slowly changing.
It's a business of art, and you need artists to make good projects. There is always a need for good actors, directors, writers.
Thanks to OTT, there are lots of things being made. For that, you need talent.
As the rule of economics goes, if there is a demand, there will be supply.
I enjoyed watching you in last year's Marathi film Naal 2. But despite the quality, there's only one Sairat in many years, otherwise the reach for Marathi cinema is still limited to Maharashtra. As senior actor, how do you look at this situation?
Things will change for Marathi cinema. We have to be optimistic. We need to keep doing good work.
A few years ago, my film Godavari was awarded at IFFI out of some 230 films.
Nikhil Mahajan (director) got a National Award for his work on that film.
We have examples of Nagraj Manjule (Jhund), Aditya Sarpotdar (Munjya), Sameer Vidwans (Satyaprem Ki Katha).
I am not saying that only working in Hindi is a big thing but these film-makers are getting a good platform to tell their stories.
But if you talk about the business of Marathi films, Ved did pretty great.Natsamrat, Mauli did well too.
It is a gradual process. When a bunch of good artists come together and tell good stories, change will surely happen. It is important to keep on working towards it.
What is it about the Hindi film industry that you won't find in Marathi? Is it the exposure, money, or something else?
The money, of course. The kind of money that the Hindi film industry has, Marathi doesn't. That's because of the market and the business.
Nagraj Manjule is making a film on Khashaba Jadhav in Hindi. The budget for that film will definitely be more than a Marathi production.
Sachin Khedekar, who is your colleague from Marathi films, once said that he is limited to playing stock characters in Hindi. Do you think it is difficult to find good opportunities because of the star system in Bollywood?
If the star system was there, we would not have Kartik Aaryan. When he came in the industry he was also a newcomer, no?
Now, he is one of the biggest stars.
Or Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajkummar Rao... all these actors started with small roles but are stars now.
Look at Nana Patekar's career. He has worked consistently for years to reach where he is today. Same for actors like Raghubir Yadav sir, Gajraj Rao, Sanjay Mishra.
Boman Irani is another good example, who literally started his career at the age of 40. Now, he is 60+ and coming up with his first directorial, Mehta Boys. That's very inspiring.
The key is to keep delivering good work. You have to have patience too.
A struggling actor once came to me and told me there's no work. I said when there's no work, that's when you have a lot of work.
He said he didn't understand.
I explained that you have to keep reading, watching, writing, traveling. It is like riyaaz for an actor. You have to keep on working on yourself.
You have written some popular songs in Marathi such as Kombdi Palali which became Chikni Chameli in Agneepath.
I have a hobby of writing poetry. It inspires me.
I admire the works of so many writer/poets/lyrists right from Sahir Ludhianvi, Anand Bakshisaab, to Majrooh Sultanpuri, Gulzarsaab and G D Madgulkar.
Poetry gives you a different perspective on life.
I still write songs, both in Hindi and Marathi.
I wrote one song for an upcoming film named Little Thomas.
But my household runs because of acting.
What are your other interests?
Listening to music, reading poetry and books, traveling.
You meet new people, explore new places and food.
The main motto is to live life.
Who are the film-makers on your wishlist? Do you personally reach out them for work?
I haven't reached out to any film-maker ever in my career. The work has always come to me.
My wish list is rather long.
I want to work with Kamal sir (Haasan), Mani sir (Mani Ratnam), Sanjay Leela Bhansalisaab. Rajni sir, Bachchansaab.
I recently did a film with Anurag Kashyap. It will release soon.
