'He used to practice dialogues in Punjabi': Parikshit reveals secret behind Father Balraj Sahnis 'Natural Acting'

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]October 15 (Ani): It is not frequent that a boy opens over a secret that formed one of the Indian theater’s most respected actors. When Parikshit Sahni recently talked about his ‘father’ Balraj Sahni, it really felt like a boy who remembers his father, a man who changed the way actors acted in the Indian theater. Balraj Sahni, who was born in Rawalpindi on May 1, 1913, was one of the most respected names in Hindi Cinema. His performances in ‘Do Bigha Zameen’, ‘Kabuliwala’, ‘Waqt’ and ‘Garm Hava’ still strike an agreement because of how real they felt. He is remembered as an icon to this day because he did not just act, he simply became the person he played. But according to Parikshit, his father’s natural acting was not just instinct; It comes from a unique ‘secret’ he just knew. The veteran actor spoke to Ani and remembers how Balraj Sahni, in an era when dialogues in Hindi films were often ‘stilted’, found his own way to make them sound real. “You see, he had a secret that no one knew about me except me. The dialogues in Hindi films were very styled. Do you remember the days? He took the dialogues, rewritten them in Punjabi in Gurmukhi and then practiced them in Gurmukhi. Then he would speak in Hindi in Hindi in Hindi, as he could, and the way he said, he did not have the bombable. Time, “the actor told Ani. Parikshit also revealed the best advice of his father he still carries with him today.” He said, “Don’t act. But believe.” His greatest faith, his greatest power, was that he didn’t act. Balraj Sahni died on April 13, 1973 at the age of 59. He talked about his son, Parikshit, who followed in his father’s footsteps, chose exciting and challenging roles during his own film career. Parikshit first worked with Raj Kapoor as assistant in the movie ‘Mera Name Joker’. The actor plays in Rajkumar Hirani’s Blockbuster films ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai,’ ‘3 Idiots,’ and ‘PK’ and also appears in Hirani’s Film ‘Donkey’ of 2023. (Ani)