I’m not a born rebel, says veteran actor Amol Palekar

Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar says he isn't a "born rebel" but rather someone who feels compelled to speak out on what he perceives as right.

In recent years, Palekar has voiced strong opinions on both cultural and political matters, be it emphasising on the importance of artistic freedom or criticising the Ministry of Culture for its decision to dissolve advisory committees at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

He has also called out films like "The Kashmir Files" and "The Kerala Story" as propaganda.

"I’m not a rebel, certainly not a born rebel. I never fought with anyone. (Being a) rebel and protest... it all evolved somewhere. I just wanted to be true to myself. Whatever I felt, I wanted to stand by that,” said the actor, known for his portrayal of the common man in films like "Chhoti Si Baat", "Rajnigandha", and "Chitchor".

He was speaking at the launch event of his memoir on Saturday night. The book, titled "Viewfinder" in English and "Aiwaz" in Marathi, was unveiled in the presence of filmmaker Govind Nihalani and actor Nana Patekar.

The book reflects on Palekar's artistic journey as a painter in Mumbai, his foray into theatre under the mentorship of Satyadev Dubey and his career as an actor and director.

It also delves into the highs and the lows, his successful collaboration with filmmakers Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee, his friendship with Amjad Khan, among other things.

“I liked working on the book. It took me on a nostalgic trip. I’ve tried to look at my journey, the work I did all these years, and the mistakes I made, among other things. It feels good to look back,” Palekar, who turned 80 on Sunday, said.

Patekar fondly referred to Palekar as both his mentor and elder brother, recalling the time when he was directed by the actor-filmmaker in the 1990 musical drama "Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen".

"He cast me in that film after several requests. At that time, ‘Parinda’ had been released and many people liked it. In ‘Thodasa Roomani …’ the role was of a soft-spoken man and Amol told me, ‘Your harsh personality will not suit this role and hence I can’t cast you in this role.'

"I regularly met him for 15 to 20 days and told him, ‘I’m an actor, I can do it this way or that way’. Eventually, he did cast me. ‘Thodasa Roomani…’ is an important film in my career and I’m thankful to him for it," Patekar said.

Palekar said he was unsure of casting Patekar in “Thodasa Roomani…” because of his "violent and volatile" nature.

But to his surprise the actor stayed calm throughout the shoot of the movie.

"This was after 'Parinda', where he had thrashed Vidhu Vinod Chopra on the sets of ‘Parinda’, and this was a known thing, it was all over the place. So, such a violent and volatile personality like Nana, as he rightly mentioned, the reason for me saying no to Nana was this," Palekar added.

The book will be available for purchase across online and offline stores on December 9.