A very well-known name in the theatres and Bollywood Anil Rastogi remarkably known for his roles in Udaan, Ishaqzaade and Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha.He has done over 800 theatre performances of about 95 plays and was a former scientist of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow. Here’s an abstract of his interaction with Ishika Sethi.

Ishika Sethi: How did you get involved in acting and for how long have you been in this field now?

Anil Rastogi: When I go down my memory lane, acting was something that never crossed my mind. As far as I remember, I have been a very studious kid ever since – surrounded by books, in my own labyrinth of thoughts, weaving new ideas and creating new formulas. In 1962, I was pursuing my masters and we got an opportunity to perform a play in the cultural evening of a nearby college. With high spirits and unmatchable enthusiasm, we performed the play and the sound of the applause by the audience still reverberates in my mind. Also, when you get appreciation for something, you feel like doing it more and more. That’s when I thought of giving acting and stage a try.

Ishika Sethi: The profile of a scientist and that of an actor is poles apart. So how did you manage working in CDRI (Central Drug Research Institute) and as an actor hand in hand?

Anil Rastogi: I joined CDRI in 1962 and got a permanent job there in 1964. Meanwhile, I was doing little theatre. In 1964, Ravindralaya auditorium came into picture and there I met a very talented director, Rajeshvar Bachchan, whom I consider as my guru. My plays did not interfere with my scientific activities because the rehearsals used to take place in the evening. I used to plan my schedule and my experiments accordingly wherein in the day time I worked for my profession and during the evenings I rehearsed and performed in the plays for my passion. I even brought theatre to CDRI and started doing plays along with my colleagues which eventually were cherished and got a lot of admiration. But I never let my theatre disturb my role as a scientist. There were times when I worked round the clock, during the midnights to finish my experiments in time. This way I managed both my profiles hand in hand.

Ishika Sethi: What is theatre to you? And what is your personal preference – theatre or Bollywood?

Anil Rastogi: Theatre is a magnificent form of expression to put forth ideas that can in effect contribute to the world in one way or another. It is a happy place because I get to play different roles and perform and help productions come to life and tell stories in person.

Well, now talking about the preference part, I’ve been a part of more than 800 shows of about 95 plays all over the country. In my personal opinion I feel that you learn in theatre every day. The rehearsals that you do, they are a good source of training and they teach you a lot of new things. For a person to start, theatre is the best choice, I must say.

Ishika Sethi: Could you please tell us about the highlights of your career and about any special recognition or award that you have received for your acting skills?

Anil Rastogi: Well, first talking about theatre, some of my famous plays are Yehoodi ki Ladki (which is closest to my heart), Panchi ja Panchi aa, A View from the Bridge, Bare Foot in Athens, Kanya Daan, Tum, Mitra and many more. Now coming to the television part, I’ve played roles in TV Shows such as Udaan, Samvidhaan, Na bole tum na maine kuch kaha, Razia Sultan and so-forth. Also, I’ve enacted in several films like Ishqzaade, Gaalib, Thappad, Raid, Mulk, Hotel Salvation (Mukti Bhawan), Batla House, Accidental Prime Minister to name a few.

Besides this, I’ve been facilitated with several awards namely Yash Bharti (2016), UP Sangeet Natak Academy Fellow (2008), UP sangeet Natak Academy Award (1984), Awadh Samman (2017) and so on. Here, I would also like to add that I am a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ishika Sethi: Truly amazing! What advice would you like to give to someone who’s aspiring to become an actor?

Anil Rastogi: Acting is a very lucrative profession these days. I’ve come up with a formula for it that if you’re hardworking, you’re talented and have perseverance plus the luck factor adds to it, then you can achieve any possible heights. In addition to this, acting is very satisfying and the recognition you get is unmatchable.

Ishika Sethi: Thank you very much Sir for your time. I really appreciate it.