Mumbai, Nov 5 (IANS): Veteran actor K.K. Raina is back on the digital medium with his new show 'The Reunion - Chal Chalein Apne Ghar' where he plays the character of a widower, who tries to adjust to the changing world and his family's dysfunctionality.
The actor, who has delivered memorable performances over the years in cinematic gems like 'Ek Ruka Hua Faisla', 'Party', 'Aghaat, 'Ardh Satya' and many more, is an alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD), where he trained under the legendary Ebrahim Alkazi, the man who is credited with changing the Indian theatre scene forever.
Raina recently spoke with IANS where he shared the role of his guru in his life, he said, "Alkazi sir has been everything in my life. I come from a small town in Kashmir. I wanted to become an actor but did not know what actually an actor requires to do. More than what he taught us inside the classes, his teachings on life are something that I still hold close to my heart, small things like how an actor should dress up and carry themselves."
"He used to have a very personal connection with his students. Alkazi sir was the only teacher who used to visit the boys' hostel in NSD and observe how we kept things or how students used to live in their rooms. He would then tell us to keep our things in an orderly fashion and the importance of cleanliness," he added.
Talking about his professional and creative learnings from his guru, the actor further said, "He taught me how to read a script from the perspective of an actor. He was very good at talking, he could talk about anything under the sun from world literature, paintings (he was a painter himself) or theatre. These conversations enriched us enormously. He always used to say that I can show you the road but it's you who has to walk down the path."
"Whenever I get stuck somewhere as an actor or as a director when I direct I always remember him and the parts from there it becomes easier. If I start talking about his contributions to my life it would take years together to sum up the topic," Raina concluded.