le page Web de
CEE-VEE
Let's
start at the very beginning... a very good place to start!
These two are 'single' handedly responsible for the phenomenon
called Ravi Baswani!
.
Dr. Balram Singh Baswani & Smt.
Shringar Kaur
This entire exercise of creating
this web page for the annals of human history is simply dedicated
to them.
How
it all began....possibly.....
#
Acting debut at the age of six. "So
the seeds showed (or should it be 'sowed'?) up early!!!!"
#
Consistent and constant contact with Acting throughout school and
college. "Meaning not very inclined to
either studies nor sports.....though admittedly more than average
student."
#
Winner of Delhi University's Best Actor Award. "Quite
passionate about acting by now...attendance percentages be
damned!!"
#
Arts Graduate from the Kirori Mal College..."Well
,not quite. Attendance problem[stated above] left Dad no choice
but to send me to Meerut College to graduate with a VERY high
second division!".........[And, continued doing theatre in
DELHI, on the sly!!]
#
Two years as Marketing Executive- Lack of "Job
Satisfaction" ended promising Marketing Career... "But
admittedly the Management training there helped in being a more
organized professional!"
#
Found True Vocation in Theatre......"Now
one achieved true 'job satisfaction' !!"
#
Full Time Free Lancing as Actor-Director-Designer for over Twenty
Years..."Thanks to BOND of Modern
School, I.I.T. Delhi, MASSAB of Darpan [Kanpur & Lucknow],
etc., and Mandi House in general!"
#
Was privileged to work with 'stalwarts' like B.M.SHAH, MOHAN
UPRETI, OM SHIVPURI, M.K.RAINA, JOY MICHAEL, BANSI KAUL (special
thanx!) and also the 'Eklavya' kinda equation with Ebrahim
Alkazi!!....Now, if that's not a decent
breeding ground, then I don't wanna know what is !
#
Main field of interest: Children’s theatre with nearly four
hundred plays with children in the Age Group ranging from 5 to 17
years...."Boy did they permanently
leave me a child [NOT retarded, stupid!]..pure, unhindered
imagination and experimentation"
#
Introduction to Cinema in 1978 with Sai Paranjpye's
"SPARSH" as Properties Designer..."Clear
about seeing a film from the outside, But AS an Actor....by the
time we were through with her, we knew she couldn't ever do
without us. Hence, CHASME-BUDDOOR!!"
#
Debut as Actor in 1980 in Sai Paranjpye’s "CHASME
BUDDOOR"..... "Boy, what a
response!"
#
Vòila! A star had arrived!..."Could
never bring myself to accept new Status. How gross!"
#
Won Filmfare Award as Best Comedian in Kundan Shah’s
"JAANE BHI DO YARO" co-starring
Naseeruddin Shah & Om Puri in 1983. ......Was it SO
simple?
Foot-Note:
Won theFilmfare nominations for my first three released films,
viz., "Chasme-Buddoor"' "Jaane Bhi Do Yaara"
& "Ab Aayega Mazaa" - including the fact that in
1983, I was competing against myself! These two nominations were
for the just mentioned last two films. Incidentally, that year
the third nominated was Satish Shah for "J.B.D.Y."
#
Immediately known " Great Comedian!"...Hated it
thoroughly and forcefully resisted it. RESULT? ....tagged a
failure!
#
Far and Few films as actor include Madhur Films "AB AAYEGA
MAZAA", Raj Kanwar’s "LAADLA" and Jijo’s
3-D film "CHHOTA CHETAN".....The
others are hardly mentionable.
#
Commercial TV began in 1984 with Anand Mahendru’s
"IDHAR-UDHAR"...."All
hooted me..'kya kar raha hai? chhote screen par kaam karega,
bewaqoof!!?'....Self felt TV was here to stay and would one day
be backbone of, and larger than Cinema!...Smart and farsighted of
me, eh?"
#
Turned Producer-Director for DOORDARSHAN in 1988 with "HAKKE
BAKKE" ]a comedy on family planning with a
fresh cast of four children and known faces like Priya Tendulkar,
Sushmita Mukherji and Jayant Kripalani.] ..."Made
my own home in Bombay with the profits!!"
#
Then Directed "KISSE MIYA BIWI KE" starring
Priya Tendulkar and Karan Razdan, and Sudesh
Syal’s "‘PANCHHI" starring
Banwari Taneja, Sushma Seth and Winnie Paranjpye..."Grudgingly,
friends began to see things my way...the actor escaping the
'comedian' slot and turning Director...rather successfully,s'il
vous plait !!"
# Then,
Directed and acted in "Just
Mohabbat' on Sony channel..... "And enjoyed every moment of it!!"
#
Produced
& Co-directed
a Documentary “THE WARP, THE WEFT, THE WEB”…on
the issue of child labour in the carpet industry.
I#
In
2001, directed “Kya Masti Kya Dhuum”, a musical game show for STAR PLUS TV
…and within TWO
episodes helped double the TRPs.
I#
Designed
& Directed the opening episodes of “Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin” a Daily Soap
for SONY
Television… with
the most satisfying part therein being the grooming of Mona Singh!
# Beginning
March ’04 (till April ’05), took on responsibility as Course Director
(Faculty of Acting) at the Film
& Television Institute of India (F.T.I.I.)
- a two-year course being revived after 226 years! Conducted the course in its
inception year …
with a lot of guidance and help of Naseeruddin
Shah. ……..and
was
damned kicked about it, if you
please!!!
#
Also rather strangely, WRITING a lot suddenly !...... So,
on to a couple of screenplays, a couple of Serials and what might
eventually be a One-Actor Play!
# Only
now, the subject of a
feature film has been approved by the Children’s Film Society, India,
proved for production …could
be debut film as a Film Director and Writer….Also, my way of thanking the
innumerable kids I got to work with during my lifetime..
# BUT, Eventually
have to direct Feature Films, yaar!... so,
working on some film scripts simultaneously - amongst them being a comic
thriller and a romantic thriller.
All Told, VERY happy and content! As of now!
Yeah,
yeah...and restless, too.
This
saga shall go on for some time, do drop in again! In the
meanwhile, go...
