With an Oscar nominated film under his belt, actor Abhyangh Kuvalekar is charming, soft-spoken and laughs a ton. An award winning actor, model, dancer, and grooming expert! He played the lead in the film Houde Jarasa Ushir which was India's official entry for the Oscars in 2017! Having been in the Marathi and Bollywood film industry for decades now, he carves a new path for himself with every new undertaking. Abhyangh Kuvalekar has been featured in more than 600 advertisements. He has also featured in India's Most Handsome Men by DNA. Some of his well-known Marathi films are Hou De Jarasa Ushir, Aawahan, Vazandar: Biggie, Sanai Choughade, Tya Ratri Paus Hota, Saatchya Aat Gharat. Some of his well-known television serials are Avantika,Char Diwas Sasuche,Oon Paus, Hashtag with Abhyangh and now Sangaycha Rahun Gela.
For his new chat show Sangaycha Rahun Gela he brings out the unexpressed, the unuttered! In Sangaycha Rahun Gela, he hosts National Award winner singer Bela Shende, actress Mrinal Kulkarni, actress Sonali Kulkarni, actress Sai Deodhar,actress Devika Daftardar, Director and Cinematographer Sanjay Jadhav, actress Aditi Sarangdhar, actor Saurabh Gokhale, Actor/Sreenwriter Chinmay Mandlekar, Actress/Screenwriter Vibhawari Deshpande, celebrated singer Rahul Deshpande and Script Writer and Actor Nikhil Ratnaparkhi on his web show. All the episodes have a profundity of research.With lots' of love and compassion and courage the guests recall some beautiful moments on sets, at home with their close ones on Sangaycha Rahun Gela ! An ode to the city Pune! Lover of Rumi poetry and Kashmir, Abhyangh Kuvalekar has been quite active on the social front, Besides, encouraging citizens to vote, he spreads compassion. He is a trained Reiki teacher and practices meditation.
RAD TIMES and www.rasaaurdrama.com caught up with him on a phone call.
www.rasaaurdrama.com focuses on independent voices in cinema and theatre in India and world over. Some notable voices www.rasaaurdrama.com has interviewed are theatre director and musician Pradeep Vaiddya, Padma Shri author Ruskin Bond, Devdutt Pattanaik, two national award winning actor, screenwriter Shanta Gokhale. Our editorial , received praise from Oscar winning Indian musician A.R. Rahman Sir on email for an interview of his student Pranit Mawale at K.M Institute, Chennai. rasaaurdrama.com actively reports on Pune theatre since 2015!
RAD TIMES: Hi Abhyangh! So happy to connect with you and greetings from RAD TIMES! Congrats on your new show Sangaycha Rahun Gela! How did the idea of a new chat show come to you which we know as Sangaycha Rahun Gela?
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Hi and thank you so much for connecting ! Honestly, the pandemic has taught us a lot of things. This year has been a little different. Across the world, it has made people re-think the kind of life they have been living. And it has somehow gone over the superficial that we have lived all these years. And made us think about the relationships that matter. So, the idea for Sangaycha Rahun Gela started with that. And artists all over the city and world had the time around April, May 2020 when we were thinking if this is going to be the end, will the world end ? So in this context, the idea of a new chat show came to me.
gif by www.rasaaurdrama.com/ RAD TIMES
RAD TIMES: Absolutely! Actors may be public figures, but they are also very mysterious, they will never tell you what's happening deep within their soul. And what we could gather, while we were watching the released episodes of Sangaycha Rahun Gela on Youtube. We discovered that there is a lot of talk about mental health that also comes out in your chat show Sangaycha Rahun Gela for artists and audiences. For example when you are chatting with actress Shruti Marathe, she mentions about the Me Too Movement ( in Hashtag with Abhyangh.) So we were wondering that actors, people whom we look up to have something in their heart, that they want to share. What about the common people ? So, our editorial at RAD TIMES did feel that there is a broader issue of mental health that you are addressing. So, our question being how can more and more artists ( you know in Pune, we have a strong experimental theatre tradition. And there are students coming from many cities to study theatre, films, literature ) express themselves confidently, clearly and honestly. And is there a way they can connect on Sangaycha Rahun Gela so that they can address themselves ?
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Of course let me answer this question in two parts! I think art itself is an expression. [ Correct ] Any form of art, be it visual art like painting or sketching , anything that has to do with sculpting, casting or even embroidery, you know photography, poetry, art design, cinema. So a mixture of all of this. So art in itself is an expression. And that is why artists become artists because they have something to share and they want to tell it out to the world. For any newcomer or anybody who is trying experimental theatre or short films, I think it is important to do it. The most important thing I would say is to take action in that direction and just do it. That's the most important thing.
There will be an audience who is going to like it. And there will be an audience who is not going to like it. But that does not matter because even the greatest of people in history including Charlie Chaplin have gone through rejections. So, I do not see it as a roadblock anywhere, to go out and start telling out stories that you want to. We are in really good times, and the audience mind spectrum has become much bigger now, from what it used to be. So the audience is very interested to watch these plays or films, or stories coming out, on different kinds of subjects. So, definately. I have a feeling, which is a very personal feeling, that it is very important at this point of time that we spread positivity.
RAD TIMES: Yes, positivity and compassion.
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Yes, because we all go through this journey of life, where we have ups and downs! And we all have good and bad days! But, I think that even the bad days can make you a better person. And that is how one should look at it, rather than , just bashing someone who is doing something positive.
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Second part of the question, how do they reach out to me. Well, at the end of the show, I say if someone has anything to say which is left unsaid, so all they need to do is get in touch with me on Facebook page . Or to get my social media handle of Instagram is not very difficult.And reach out to me and if they can send us a video. We would love to play one selected video at the end of the episode!
Strangely enough, at the end of last three episodes, we have had people sending messages to us, but people are still quite hesitant ( how do we make videos and send it because they are not able to say it.) (Being able to make a video with everything you want to say is even more difficult.) But, then I am trying to encourage that! I am telling people that go on and just empty yourself. Dosen't really matter, how are you looking, or how are you talking. What matters is expression and some love!
RAD TIMES: You have grown up in Pune and been in the industry for so many years , what art forms would you like the students could practice more ? For students or even working professionals ? Or is there any art form you would like to see flourish more in the city ?
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Honestly, there are a couple of them. I really feel somehow we have lost touch with classical music. For example a genius voice and poet like Bhimsen Joshi used to live and perform in the city. So maybe classical music has to come back maybe in a different format, fusion format; a format that the youth is appealed to by. There is so much energy in the youth. Another thing which has gone lost right now, is I think pottery.
[ Yes, working with your hands ] Pottery and to do with sculptures. Very few youngsters take that up. We have fine arts colleges in Pune. But the number of students is very few. So probably, that needs to come up.
RAD TIMES:Thank you so much for sharing this insight. There is a huge dash to become an actor, but what about other art forms because they also contribute to development of a child. The next question is about your love for Kashmir. Chatting about your love for Kashmir and books, you were at a book launch of Gul-Gulshan-Gulfaam! So we were wondering how did you happen to go for the book launch, and what do you feel about the culture of Kashmir ? So much of beauty and rich arts ?
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Wow, The book had a very famous series on Doordarshan. [ Yes, Parikshit Sahni starred in the series on Doordarshan. ] The book is written by the celebrated writer Pran Kishore Kaul, who is a Kashmiri stage personality. Pranji got his Padma Shri last year. And he is a ninety-two year old very young man. Who has the energy to shy any youth of the country, I think. [ he, he ] Pranji has been very active in bringing Kashmir and Kashmiriyat on television and as a writer. So Pran Kishore Kaul happens to be the grandfather of one of my dear friends Mrinal Kaul. Mrinal is a cinematographer and he is on my team on HASHTAG WITH ABHYANGH. So, the book launch was happening and they wanted me to come and anchor it as they wanted someone to know Hindi and Marathi both. And that is the reason I was there and my love for Kashmir. And, I am yet to see any place as beautiful on earth. Yeh jo kahawaat hai ki, " agar kahin jannat hai to yehin hai, to woh kashmir hai, " And, that is Kashmir!
RAD TIMES: Yes, we have observed that actors are somehow connected with the best of writing. Interestingly, we read about this event on the kasmiriobserver.org and this article popped up. And they reported that there was a book launch of Gul-Gulshan-Gulfaam . We couldn't find it anywhere on Pune press. So we were very lucky to stumble on it.
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Ya, also why I was lucky to join it, because I had seen bits of Gul-Gulshan-Gulfaam in bits and pieces. And it was the first series that was shot in Kashmir too. They have shown the Dal lake and it is so beautiful. It is actually the story about this guy who owns these three Shikara by the name of Gul, Gulshan, Gulfaam! And it was beautiful and when I came to know about it, I was like, wow, it is going to connect me to Kashmir a little further. So, why not. And I grabbed the opportunity.
wow!
RAD TIMES: Are there any shows which are must watch for us on Indian television ?
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: In Hindi, there was a series called Mount Everest which was produced and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. Which was on Star plus and it was a really really nice show. There was another series Saraswati Chandra in terms of the magnitude.
RAD TIMES: How do you invite people on your shows like Sangaycha Rahun Gela or Hashtag with Abhyangh ! How do you choose them ?
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: As a maker of the series, the artists that I really want to look at , have the depth to talk about a certain subject. For example with Sangaycha Rahun Gela , the reason why we have such celebrated senior actors. Because, I was looking for actors, who are sensitive to this part of their life and they may have a regret, on somthing that they have unsaid left. Which I really don't think exists in the younger generation for some reason, I don't know why. I do see a lack of gratitude. Everything has to be instant somehow. The internet works instantly, it works like that. So, that was my first basic criteria when I wanted to decide for Sangaycha Rahun Gela. For Hashtag with Abhyangh I wanted people who are quirky, who have a sense of humour, who are open to bare themselves on the show. Talk about their mistakes, talk about their insecurity, as much as we will have fun. And crack some jokes! So, that is what the criteria is when I choose people, and thankfully since I have been working for so many years, I know all of them very well. Most of them are my very dear friends. So, that is how it becomes easier because I know they would not go on other shows, and talk. For example on Sangaycha Rahun Gela, we have Sonali Kulkarni. She did tell me that, because it is your show, I feel like coming and expressing myself.
RAD TIMES: She was so sweet and honest.
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: Yes, for an actress who has won five-six national awards and international awards. And to come up on a web show like Sangaycha Rahun Gela to join hands and say sorry is a very big thing. So, at the end of every show I get lots of messages. So, one person had messaged me, and he had written that, when we see people like you guys, talk about your mistakes and accept them publicly, and have the guts to do that; it gives strength to normal people like us to do that to. To accept our mistakes, gracefully and be okay about it and move on! That's one of the best messages we at team Sangaycha Rahun Gela received, and he asked me to tell that to Sonali; and I told her that.
Also, a lot of actors who have come on the show, were pleasantly shocked that I am doing it. Infact, Sonali mentioned it on the BIG FM interview that, she was shocked to see that Abhyangh to conceive such a show. And there was no reason she would have said no to me. She admires my work in the fashion industry. So , I tell her , that's my work. So I tell her you have worked with Saif Ali Khan and Salman Khan ; and you appear to be such a simple person. What about that ? And now we know that the real you is much deeper. And, you have such amazing thoughts inside. Ya, but it just has to come up with time!
We are tuning off with some beautiful insights into what goes into making an artist! Thank You so much Abhyangh for chatting with us. We got some gems from your universe. Best of luck for your upcoming projects!
Abhyangh Kuvalekar: It was a pleasure. Thank you !
All image source: Abhyangh Kuvalekar Instagram
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