Sustaining by adapting to changing times: Actor Rituraj Singh

By Kishori Sud

New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) He has been working for two decades in the Indian TV industry. Actor Rituraj Singh, currently seen as a a secret agent in "Trideviyaan", says the secret behind his long career lies in the fact that he has adapted to the changes that have come with time, rather than waiting for the system to change.

Rituraj, who has also had a promising career in films and theatre, rued how TV channels and producers no longer emphasise on a quality script.

Asked if he is happy with the present-day content of Indian TV, Rituraj quipped: "Do I have a choice?"

Elucidating on the same, he told IANS: "When I started TV, it was a different culture. The industry was different, the entire concentration was on the script. The script used to be so good that there was so much for an actor to do.

"The channel and producer emphasised on the script at that time... Then things started changing. The scripts started becoming weaker day by day. The audience started liking the stories which were not very believable. It became so much that the quality started falling. I worked at that time and I am still working."

He finds the scenario on small screen rather sad and the content regressive -- a sentiment most veteran artistes often talk about.

Rituraj, who is known for his work in TV shows like "Banegi Apni Baat" (1993-1997), "Maan" (2001-2002) and "Aahat", says that as an actor, he will "work in any situation".

"I am very much familiar with the bad atmosphere, but if I want to be an actor and if I want to work, I will work in whatever situation it is. But I will make sure that I do my work so well that I keep getting good work.

"I have been on the field and never sat at home and I always get cast in different kind of roles," the 52-year-old actor said.

Rituraj says that he can adapt with the times but certainly "cannot change the system".

"So, I work according to the system. But being in the system, I make sure that I am different. I am still totally disciplined. I still totally believe in my script, work on the script with my writers, work on language and the diction. I don't worry about how I am looking. I worry about what my content is," said the actor, who worked with Barry John's theater group TAG (Theatre Action Group) for over a decade.

Asked if he would like to work in a reality TV show, which according to some actors pays better and is finite when it comes to the number of episodes, Rituraj said he detests the notion of becoming a "show piece".

"I am not game for reality TV shows. I have never participated in them and the only reality TV shows that I have done in my life have been where I am not there as a 'show piece'. I am only known as an actor. Earlier, reality TV shows were for real, unlike what we see today," he said.

(Kishori Sud can be contacted at kishori.s@ians.in)