In a string of 70s films (Rajnigandha, Golmaal), Amol Palekar capitalised on his image as the quintessential common man. But eventually Amol veered towards direction (Paheli, And Once Again) and it has been a long time since we saw this talented actor on screen in a Hindi film. His last appearance was 10 years ago in a cameo in Aks.
Ask Amol if he ever plans a comeback to acting in Hindi films and he smiles, “I get at least 20-30 offers to act in films every month. Every director comes to me and says, ‘Sir, only you can do this role’. When I ask them about the role, they say ‘You have to play the hero’s father’.”
But the problem, according to Amol, doesn’t lie in his refusal to play the hero’s father. “That’s fine,” the actor-director reveals. “But when I ask them to elaborate on my character, I find that there is no characterisation. Why should I act in films in that case?”