Jim Sarabh, the actor, has established a reputation for himself with his portrayal of famous real-life personalities on screen. With previous roles like that of the famous scientist Homi J. Bhabha in the movie Rocket Boys to portraying characters like Malik Kafur from history, Sarabh has been cast with the task of portraying great men again and again. This time the actor will play the role of Xerxes Desai, who was responsible for founding Titan Watches, in an upcoming television series named Made In India: A Titan Story. Prior to the release of the TV series, here is what Jim Sarabh had to say regarding the same.
Stepping Into the Shoes of Xerxes Desai
Xerxes Desai is known as the man who brought a revolution to the Indian watches industry via Titan. As a close friend and protege of the legendary businessman JRD Tata, Desai was one of the people responsible for creating one of the most trustworthy brands in the country. In order to successfully depict this business mogul on the screen, Jim undertook drastic changes in his appearance. However, in contradiction to the general opinion, he did not use any makeup or hair styling methods to change his look.
While on screen his transformation was absolutely perfect, in reality, he found himself in difficulties when it came to living the same life as before. Speaking about how he coped with everyday life without shaving half of his head, Jim states that “regular life was difficult too because hats, all the time. You can decide to become a bald guy, then fine, do that. But this? This is different. If it kept happening to me, I’d shave everything off.” The commitment to authenticity shows how seriously the actor took his job.
A Career Defined by Real-Life Characters
It’s worth mentioning that Jim has repeatedly appeared as historical personalities over the years. Speaking about his filmography, the actor openly says that he has been unable to deny this trend in recent years. In Rocket Boys, which is the most famous internet series of Jim, he played the part of nuclear physicist Homi J. Bhabha. However, according to Jim, it was not an isolated case.
“I often get questions related to my portrayal of historical figures, but what’s interesting is that 80-90% of the roles I played are real people,” says Jim. Indeed, he has played quite an impressive number of people in different times, making him one of the few actors that can specialize in biography and historical roles.
No Fixed Formula for Playing Real People
Even though he often has to portray historical figures or famous individuals, Jim mentions that he does not adhere to any particular technique whenever he plays such characters. Rather than being intimidated by the challenge of portraying a living character, he tries to concentrate on the script and the overall storyline.
As Jim notes, “It depends on the script, and the role. What’s the function of the character? It’s maybe not an accurate portrayal of that individual in history, but it is a story in the end. It is based on real people, but it has to have all the elements that are necessary for something that is exciting. So I look at it without any burden from the past or the actual person.”
This approach to acting can be quite intriguing in the context of the way in which actors should deal with such challenges. Even though it is important to maintain authenticity, Sarbh seems to suggest that the main objective is to serve the story and its viewers.
About Made in India: A Titan Story
Made in India: A Titan Story chronicles the compelling narrative of how Titan, India’s indigenous watch brand, evolved as an iconic brand and changed India’s mindset about watchmaking. The series delves into the vision and determination involved in building an internationally acclaimed brand as part of the Tata group.
In addition to Jim Sarabh, the series stars renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah in the role of JRD Tata. Featuring other well-known actors, including Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Kaveri Seth, Namita Dubey, Lakshvir Saran, Joy Sengupta, Viraf Patel, and Ashwath Bhatt, among others, the long-awaited series is scheduled to air on Amazon MX Player starting June 3.
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