Vipin Sharma on working with Satish Kaushik: I always felt at ease with him

Vipin Sharma on working with Satish Kaushik: I always felt at ease with himAugust 29, 2023New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) Actor Vipin Sharma, who is enjoying the response to his recently released black comedy series, ‘Guns and Gulaabs’, has looked back on what it was like working with late co-star Satish Kaushik in the series, saying the latter was full of life, and he always felt at ease working with him.Reminiscing about Satish Kaushik, Vipin said, “When we were in the National School of Drama, we used to hear about our seniors who moved to Bombay to work in films. We felt safe knowing we had a network of people to turn to if and when we decided to move to the city to pursue acting. Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri were a few such names, but there was another name we heard who wasn’t acting but was assisting filmmakers. That was Satish Kaushik ji.””After a long hiatus from acting post ‘Taare Zameen Par’, I was once invited to a party and I have a very vivid memory of meeting Satish ji there. I felt I had met a very simple man, who was very grounded and humble. We exchanged numbers and I stayed in touch with him ever since. Then, ‘Guns & Gulaabs’ happened and I got to spend a lot of time with him on and off set. Satish was always full of life, and the way he narrated stories from various shoots was hilarious,” said the 61-year-old actor.He further said: “We all sat around him like children around a campfire listening attentively. There was never a dull moment with him around. Every day when we met in the evening he would very proudly tell me ‘Vipin aaj 8000 steps walk kiya yaar maza aa gaya’.”Talking about acting with the maestro, Vipin said: “As a co-actor, I always felt at ease with him. He never made any of us feel that he was the senior actor amongst us. He always paid attention to his character and dialogue. He always sought to deliver his monologues in the funniest possible way. He was also very courageous and was an active part of the stunts coordinated for him.””My best memory with him is when Adarsh Gourav, Satish ji and I flew together. Before the flight, we met for breakfast and he asked the chef to pack something for him. On the flight when we were served food he opened the take-away bag and we realized that he had gotten some bajra rotis for all of us. I feel I am fortunate that I got to act with him and also got a glimpse of his kindness. His commitment as an actor and his love for people around him will always be an inspiration,” he added.Satish Kaushik died due to a heart attack on March 9, at the age of 66.Vipin plays the character of ‘Mahendra’ in ‘Guns & Gulaabs’. The show is a comedy crime thriller created and directed by Raj and DK. Set against the backdrop of the gritty 1990s underworld, it features Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, Vipin Sharma and TJ Bhanu in lead roles.It is a captivating narrative of ‘firsts’, set in the early ’90s in the unpredictable and precarious town called Gulaabganj. The series is an ode to Bollywood in the 1990s, bringing back the charms of the decade. The genre-blending series intertwines romance, comedy, action, pulp, thrill, and twists, with young adult themes.Created by the duo Raj & DK, ‘Guns & Gulaabs’ bears their original comedy signature throughout. Against the backdrop of comedic power struggles and revenge plots, the series blends genres as it follows a lovestruck mechanic, a reluctant heir to a ruling gang and an honest officer-turned-agent-of-chaos.The show is streaming on Netflix.–IANSsp/dan