The actor talks about his performing stint across the length and breadth of America

Paresh Rawal is back from a two-month break from Bollywood that took him across the US. He later also took a trip to Africa. He had wrapped up all his pending film assignments to hit the road with his Hindi play Krishan v/s Kanhaiya.

Living on the roads

He did 51 shows in 53 days and covered 24, 800 miles across the US by road. "It was an overwhelming experience travelling in a van all over America from the east to the west coast, " says the actor.

"The van had been fitted with a bedroom and a make-up room. We only stopped to eat or to spend the night at a hotel or for our performances. It was literally like living on the roads."

Unique experience

As reported ('Paresh takes a break'; Hitlist, August 16), the troupe had shows lined up in cities such as Houston, San Francisco, New Jersey and San Jose.

Adds Rawal, "I have been abroad for film shoots but this stint was a singularly unique experience. We were eleven of us in the team and even though when we were not performing we were travelling to our next destination, we never felt tired.

This is when you realise what a great infrastructure can do for you cut short distances and you can hop across from one city to another within hours."

A good mix

While the audience was a predominantly NRI one, Americans came for a few shows. "There are a few of them who are familiar with my performances. They had also seen my earlier plays like Shaadi@Barbadi.com and Naughty@40." Last week, he took a short trip to Africa touring Nairobi and Mombasa with the play. "I was visiting these places after 26 years. It was a nostalgia trip."

Though he wasn't in town when Aakrosh released, his evil cop role fetched him compliments. "My association with Priyan goes a long way. The role was well-written with some great dialogues. After a long time, I had a role that was just right for me."

What the play is about

Krishan v/s Kanhaiya is about an atheist's battle with God. An adaptation of the Gujarati comedy Kanjee Virrudh Kanjee, it is directed by Umesh Shukla who is also calling the shots in the Hindi version. Apart from Paresh Rawal, the cast includes Dharmendra Gohil and Chirag Vora.