I don't like theatrical comedies involving a joker - Rohitashv Gaud

Rohitashv Gaud seems to be in real life simple and down-to-earth, similar in some aspects in a positive way to his character Mukundi Laal Gupta in SAB TV’s Lapataganj Ek Baar Phir (Garima Productions). He too hails from a small town like Lapataganj. Unlike Mukundi, he is a quite educated and a poet too. Excerpts from the interview he gave to Tellychakkar.com. Which season of Lapataganj has been more enjoyable for you- Season 1 or Season 2? I have enjoyed doing both the seasons. In the first season we were following Hindi poet, writer and satirist Sharad Joshi’s stories. In the second season the creatives are using more of their imagination to make stories. There are more characters, greater drama and conflict in this season. The first season on the contrary was more realistic. Even with the introduction of electricity, water, ATM and mobile phones the villagers haven’t lost their simplicity. Do you agree? Yes, they are still simple village folks. We have however fused humour into the script taking advantage of the fact that the rustic dwellers of Lapataganj are not technologically savvy. We are beautifully showing how in a way mobile phones are distancing them. For instance, now that they can communicate through mobile phones they are not having face to face interactions as much as they used to in the earlier season. What if in the third season maybe after a leap of maybe five or ten years, Lapataganj has computers, internet, Facebook, Wassup etc…do you think that the villagers will then lose all their simplicity? If so many things are introduced it is but natural that they will lose some their simplicity but not all of it. The reason as they are not too educated, they will have problems in making avail of all these amenities. So we may have humorous situations arising from a scenario like this. I do not think though our Producer will make the sweet town of Lapataganj so modernised, especially in near future. Despite their struggle and minimal amenities, the residents of Lapataganj are happy and contended. Do you think you could have remained happy in a similar scenario? Of course. After all there is so much of love and warmth in Lapataganj. In a big city, often neighbours do not know one another. On the contrary in the close knit Lapataganj community, people share one another’s joy and sorrow. If I do relocate to Lapataganj, I will not miss city life all that much. What advice would you have given Mukundi Laal if you had met him? I would have advised him not to leave work in between, to stay away from politics and change according to the times. What do you think is Mukundi’s greatest frustration? Water and electricity have finally come to the village albeit for limited hours. He has worked so hard to upgrade the village scenario but he is facing stumbling blocks. He is very idealistic but he faces hurdles while implementing the same in the social system. Just like Anna Hazare, he has endeavoured greatly to change the system but ultimately the result hasn’t been as he had expected. Also his son is so unlike him, he is not-so-ideal which bothers him. Have you visited rural towns like that of Lapataganj? What was your experience like? My hometown Kalka is a small town situated in the Panchkula District of Haryana, India. It is quite like Lapataganj in many ways. What do you like the best about Mukundi? Of course, it has to be his idealism and honesty. What kind of comedies do you enjoy doing the most? Comedy without conflict does not interest me. I don’t like theatrical comedies involving a joker. I like satirical comedies like Lapataganj. What kind of shows will you never do? I am open to taking up any show whether serious or comic as long as there is a good story, drama and proper characterisation. I would have loved to be a part of shows like Balika Vadhu and Office Office. What are your hobbies? I love singing, writing poems (especially funny ones), reading satirical writings and watching Wah Wah Kya Baat Hai.