Bollywood’s duplicates tired of ‘comedian image’
By Shilpa Raina, IANSThursday, January 7, 2010
NEW DELHI - They may have got a glimpse of stardom, but just looking like their favourite heroes is not enough, say Bollywood’s “duplicates” who are tired of being seen as nothing but comedians.
“Today I am here because of my looks. But I have a regret that I have been typecast as a comedian. No one understands that I am an actor first. I have never been able to come out of this comedian tag,” Kishore Bhanushali, a Dev Anand lookalike, told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
“Whenever I see Rajpal Yadav or any actor in excellent roles, I feel that I could have done justice to that role as well. But I can’t because whenever I come on stage, I have to make people laugh. That’s what they expect,” he added.
Bhanushali, 43, has acted in movies like “Dil”, “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi” and “Karan Arjun”, among others.
According to Anand, duplicate of Govinda, it’s difficult to get rid of the comedian tag.
“It hurts when you look into the mirror and wonder about your identity. You are trapped in a certain image - we talk like them and behave like them. But we have to move on because this is what is getting us our bread and butter,” explained Anand.
“It’s not easy to get rid of this comedian tag because audiences want to see us like that only. Whenever we come on stage, they request us to mimic the star we resemble. Initially, it was difficult to accept this, but now I have got used to it,” he added.
Anand, who made his Bollywood debut with the spoof movie “Ramgarh Ke Sholey”, has done various stage shows.
These people will be seen on the television show “Zindagi Live” on IBN 7 at 8 p.m. Sunday.
Mimicking was not easy for them. They had to put in a lot of hard work to adapt the mannerisms of the actors they resemble.
“Aping is not easy. I was born with looks similar to Dev Anand, but I had to acquire everything else - the way he talks, walks, sits, eats, everything. It is not an easy task. I had to do a lot of hard work to behave like him. It’s like growing up with your lookalike star,” explained Bhanushali.
All of them have met the stars they resemble, but Amitabh Bachchan’s duplicate Rajkumar has a secret wish.
“I would like to have a picture with him. I still don’t have one. Apart from this, I would also love to perform in front of him. I just wish that it happens one day. It would be the biggest day of my life,” said Rajkumar, who doesn’t regret being typecast.
“I know I have lost my identity. But no one forced me to do so. I am here because I wanted it like that. It’s god’s gift to me and because of this face, my house is running. I don’t feel bad at all because it is my profession,” he said.
“To be very frank, never in my wildest dreams had I thought I would get so much love and recognition. I am a common man. If I was not in this profession, I don’t know where I would have been,” he added.
