Sports TV

Veteran actor Pankaj Berry is playing the interesting role of Tathacharya, the royal priest in the court room of King Krishnadevraya and the biggest enemy of Tenali Rama, on Sony SAB’s recently launched show, Tenali Rama.
Interestingly, the show is the first folklore series of the actor’s life.
Pankaj said, “I have done Mahabharat before. Recently, I did Peshwa Bajirao. I have done historic shows before but Tenali Rama is the first folklore series of my life.”
So, what made him give his nod to the show, he answered, “My character in Tenali Rama is very interesting and challenging. I play the role of Tattacharya who is Tenali’s rival. Tenali Rama is a show with which all generations can connect. The character of Tattacharya is multi-dimensional. Though his character is on darker side but there are so many variations. That is why I chose this role.”
When asked to describe his relation with Tenali Rama, he said, “My equation with Tenali is exactly of what an antagonist and protagonist of the show needs to have. When Tenali tries to solve aproblem, Tattacharaya brings all kinds of hurdles in his way.”
“Tenali’s only enemy on the show is Tattacharya. It’s kind of a Tom and Jerry relationship,” he added.
The actor has played a lot of negative roles in his past projects. So, when quizzed why he is seen in more of negative roles, he quipped, “As an actor, I have explored a lot of characters. I havedone positive as well as negative characters, but people remember me for negative roles. I have to tell people that I have done positive roles, which worked out really well for me.”
Pankaj feels that comedy is a tough job. Sharing his opinion on this genre, he opined, “Comedy is a very tough job as an actor. To make people laugh is a difficult job. However, the major efforts come from the writer and actor’s job is to work on timing with co-actors and then get that energy out.”
Apart from television, the actor has also been part of theatre and Bollywood projects. When asked which industry he thinks enhances him as an actor, he said, “Honestly, as an actor, we have to play a character rather than look for a medium. The only difference is technicalities otherwise rest all remains the same.”
“And in terms of acting, films will go into minute details of acting whereas television industry needs loud reaction. So, all mediums need their own skills,” he signed off.