BENGALURU: Veteran actor M Nassar does not consider himself a poet, but at the recent Bengaluru Poetry Festival, when prompted with a few words, he nevertheless crafted beautiful poetry, leaving the audience in awe. His love for literature goes back a long way and has significantly honed his craft as an actor over the years. “I come from a small village and later moved to Chennai in my 20s.
I was introduced to Tamil literature then. As an actor, it helped me a lot because I came across so many characters and began to have a deeper understanding of my community, their pleasures, and their pains. It helps in my creative process,” explains the veteran of over four decades.
His first preference has always been regional literature. “I try to read regional books wherever I go. For example, I have read some of the books of Chandrashekhara Kambara.
I really enjoyed Singarevva Mattu Aramane. It’s a wonderful story. I wanted to turn it into a film but realised there was already one in Kannada.
Similarly, when I travel to Andhra Pradesh, I try to read Telugu writers,” says Nassar. Nassar has portrayed many iconic roles on screen. While one can argue that his role in Mani Ratnam’s Bombay and SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali remain unforgettable, his performance in Nayakan is still regarded as iconic.
Nassar, however, believes the secret behind making anything look seamless has less to do with talent and more with practice. “It’s a very long process. Whatever I am applauded for today, it’s because of proper training.
Youngsters think it’s some talent, but I don’t believe that. Whatever I am today is because of what I learned from my gurus,” says the 66-year-old. “When I chose to be an actor, I thought it would be just another job that would solve all my money problems.
But later, when I went to a film school, I realised it was more than I thought. Instead of believing in talent, you have to be knowledgeable.” Nassar offers some insightful pointers that he believes every actor should have in their arsenal.
The first is political awareness. “That’s how I was trained because you are going to play a role that is experiencing various things, whether in India, Bangladesh, or anywhere else in the world,” says Nassar, who was last seen in the web series Killer Soup. He further adds, “The other thing is to know your own craft thoroughly.
When a person finishes their education, it does not stop there. The real education begins afterwards. As an actor, you have to constantly upgrade yourself with new techniques and technology.
It’s crucial to approach this profession like any other job. You cannot just treat it as a creative pursuit and leave it at that. You have to take responsibility.
” As an actor, one of his exercises is watching new films. The last one he watched was Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap. “It is a very intelligent film.
Of course, there are a few very violent scenes. Recently, I also watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. I admired Noa’s performance.
I have a profound appreciation for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings,” he signs off..
