Paresh Rawal goes back to where he started from

Veteran actor Paresh Rawal has decided to take a sabbatical from movies after Ready. Though the film was a smash success, he feels he has done enough of these comic roles.

He has now turned ferociously towards theatre, from where he says he derives immense creative satisfaction. "It's like returning to my roots.

The movie roles that I do nowadays can be done by me with my eyes closed. There's no challenge. It's theatre where the challenge really lies for me."

On a road trip

Paresh has just returned from an extensive world tour with his Hindi play Kishan Versus Kanhaiya. Says the elated actor, "I can't tell you how exhilarating the experience was.

We travelled for 67 days across Europe and the US. We did over a 100 shows. And we spent innumerable hours on the road.

The thrill of being a traveling performer, going on stage to face a live audience ¦ cinema cannot replicate that pleasure."

Paresh's colleague, Naseeruddin Shah too, has said more or less the same thing, vowing to adhere to the stage this year, but will also do cinema with three back-to-back films.

However, Paresh isn't likely to change his mind. "I'm not going to return to films for a while. After Ready, I haven't signed anything. Nothing seems worth my effort."