Senior actors Birbal and Manmauji: We will have the hunger to work till we die – Exclusive! – Times of India

Veteran actors Birbal and Manmauji have worked together in hundreds of films and will now be seen together in the film 10 Nahi 40 directed by Dr JS Randhawa. This slice-of-life drama and comedy is slated to release in March. These senior actors, who have played some memorable roles in the past, talk about their career, their hesitation to approach casting directors and the general disarray in their professional pursuits nowadays. While Birbal and Manmauji are both financially sound, they are hungry for work. It’s disheartening to hear that the present generation does not offer them work. Excerpts:

As veteran actors with decades of experience, do you still reach out to casting directors for work?

Birbal: Corona has shut down all our opportunities. We don’t go anywhere.

Manmauji: Whoever reaches out to us, we do their film. Otherwise we stay at home. We will have the hunger to work till we die.

Birbal: We shot 10 Nahi 40 before lockdown. And the amount of fun we had shooting for this film, we never experienced that ever before.

Birbal you’ve worked in more than 500 films and Manmauji, you’ve worked in excess of 250 films. Are you two satisfied as artistes?

Manmauji: I don’t think we will be satisfied till our last breath. Whenever someone comes up with a role we will be excited to face the camera.

Birbal: Raj Khosla gave me a lot of work at the start of my career. I share the Khosla surname with him. My real name is Satyendra Khosla. Raj ji was a great man. During my early days, he wouldn’t entertain me. I was shooting for a film called Do Badan, where I was playing one of the students. Main moti-moti qitaabein lekar padh raha tha (I was reading fat books). Raj ji was doing one scene with Gulshan Bawra. But Manoj Kumar said, ‘Gulshan gadha lagta nahin hai (Gulshan doesn’t look like an idiot)’. Manoj noticed me and called me for that scene. The scene became such a hit that Raj Khosla and Manoj Kumar started casting me in every film.

A lot of senior actors enlist the help of authorities like CINTAA. Do these associations offer you assistance as well?

Birbal: See, the problem with our age is that people hesitate to ask. ‘Ab inn se kya kaam karwaye?’ is quite a common reaction.

You could look out for opportunities, too. There’s no harm in you asking for work.

Birbal: What’s the use when people don’t want to give work?

But new media like the OTT has given opportunities to actors across all ages.

Birbal: Humko toh pata hee nahin hai ke OTT hai kya. Aur casting mein itna zaleel hona padta hai ke humein bhi line mein khade rehna padta hai (We’ve don’t really know what OTT is. We have to face embarrassment and ridicule with the casting process, standing in line, waiting for a chance). The ones who conduct our audition don’t know A, B, C of acting. They try to teach us how to act.

Manmauji: My experiences have been similar to his. We don’t tell these things to our family. Our children have told us to do whatever we like, but don’t do anything that hurts us.

Birbal: If we stay at home, negativity takes over our mind. Ulte-seedhe khayalat aate hain (Our mind cooks up all sorts of nonsensical thoughts). If we work, then our mind is at ease.

How did the two of you end up working in 10 Nahi 40? How many times have you both worked together?

Manmauji: We have worked together in almost all the films we did.

Birbal: Hum dono ek hee scooter pe struggle karne jaate the (We used to travel together on a scooter during the struggling days). He used to ride and I’d sit behind practicing Kishore Kumar’s songs. That practice helped me immensely as I did shows across the world.

Doctor Randhawa, why did you cast Birbal and Manmauji?

Dr Randhawa: Honestly, I watch very few movies. For almost 20 years we did not have a TV at home. And the first movie that I made with Sanjay Mishra, he would often say that watch my films like Masaan etc. Then I thought of buying a TV.

An actor from my previous film suggested their names. I didn’t know them by their names. But when I saw their faces, I immediately recognized them, even though I watch very few movies. I think it was a good decision to cast Birbal and Manmauji. They pick up characters quickly. Also, we modified their roles according to their personalities.

There’s one comedy scene in the film where I’m taking all the characters to an Altaf Raja night. Shooting of that scene went on till 4am at a farm house in cold Delhi winters. We were a little concerned because of their age, whether they will be able to pull it off or not. But Birbal, Manmauji and our other senior actors shot all through the night.

The subject of 10 Nahi 40 is about several problems faced by old people. How much do you identify with the subject?

Birbal: The problems showed in the film are reality of life.


How do you spend your time when you’re not acting?

Birbal: My wife is not well. She recently got operated. The doctors treat one illness and trigger another. My son is in Singapore. He helps us.

Manmauji: I have two sons. One is an actor and other one is a technician. All of us stay together.

What’s the connection with Altaf Raja’s Tum Toh Thehre Pardesi song?

Dr Randhawa: There’s one scene where we take all the old people for a qawali. And when it comes to qawali, Altaf Raja’s name is the first to pop in my mind. So, I approached him for a live performance. He agreed immediately and he shot for the whole day. He liked the qawali in the film. I have choreographed that song. I realised that you don’t need a choreographer unless you need specific dance steps and youngsters.

In our film, there’s another song called Jogi Jogi, which was choreographed by a proper choreographer. I was not happy with that because he did not utilize Birbal and Manmauji’s talent. He only focused on the girl in the song. It was the worst experience of my life. I was not present while the song was being shot as I was managing other things. I had given the responsibility to my associate director and choreographer. Movie line mein lakir ke faqir bohot hote hain (There’s a lot of people in filmmaking who rely solely on luck).

Birbal and Manmauji, are you two in touch with the directors who you have worked with in the past?

Manmauji: Those directors don’t make films anymore. Dukaane band hain unki (They’ve shut shop).

Birbal: I have worked a lot with Raj Khosla and he’s not around anymore. Here, I would just like to recall his method. Raj ji never gave the control of camera to a choreographer. Choreographer would teach the dance steps. Where to keep the camera would be Raj ji’s decision. Other directors would sit outside the studio smoking cigarettes when the songs were being shot. Manoj Kumar learned direction from Raj Khosla and he was a great technician.

What’s the message that 10 Nahi 40 wants to convey to its audience?

Dr Randhawa: I think our film will be relevant to middle aged and young audiences rather than old viewers. The old people are already suffering, and they already know about the reality that 10 Nahi 40 depicts.