Politician extraordinaire Laloo Prasad Yadav is himself his best satirist and knows what note to strike, anybody who satirizes him would only be second best, feels an actor.
We better take that at face value because the statement came from none other than Farooque Shaikh, who has enthralled both film and theatre lovers through his roles in immortal creations such as 'Chashmebaddoor' and 'Tumhari Amrita'.
He was interacting with mediapersons at the launch of 'Ji Mantriji' -- a book based on the popular teleserial currently on air. Farooque plays the title role in the series, described as 'an uproariously funny, brilliantly satirical look at the downside of Indian politics', and has won many hearts with his portrayal of Suryaprakash Singh, newly-elected minister of Administrative Affairs.
Though he has not read the book, Farooque feels ''Indian politics lends itself better to satire.
''There is no role that I particularly like or dislike,'' he says when asked which character was his favorite among the numerous roles he has portrayed over the decades.
Farooque's major foray into the small screen was through 'Chamatkar' -- a serial about a man with special sensory abilities. ''That was for a louder audience,'' the actor says. ''India has a lot of that kind of audience but Ji Mantriji differs in quality.''
The star's message to politicians, ''Good luck!'' For what? He doesn't say.
''I had to study bureaucratic processes and that involved a lot of hard work,'' said Jayant Kripalani while speaking of his preparations for the role of Rajnath Mathur -- Secretary to the Department of Administrative Affairs.
''I sincerely hope there is a future for this kind of production,'' he says.
When asked whether his role was encouraging him to actually join Indian politics, Jayant laughs, ''Mujhe kya pagal kutte ne kata hai? (Have I been bitten by a mad dog?)''
He feels he doesn't have the required qualifications for the job, ''There are no cases against me.''
The book has been launched by Penguin Books India in association with British Broadcasting Corporation Worldwide.
Based on the original 'Yes Minister' by Jonathan Lynn and Anthony Jay, Ji Mantriji was adapted and translated for Indian television by Alok Tomar. The English version is by Monisha Shah, Director, BBC Worldwide India.
It deals with the minister's comically heroic efforts to come to terms with the vagaries of his office, in which he is aided as well as impeded by the Secretary to the Department and his private secretary S K Kaul -- a role played by Paritosh Sand.
'Suryaprakash's days fluctuate between excitement and embarrassment -- scarcely has he recovered from the effects of trying to implement a Bachat Abhiyan (economy drive) when he finds himself on a terrorist hit list; barely has he concluded a hush-hush deal with the President of Chagos when he has to contend with his teenaged daughter who threatens to demonstrate in the nude against his anti-monkey policies.
'Suryaprakash's entries in his diary record the intrigue and counter-intrigue that characterize the sometimes intense, often ludicrous battles that are fought in the corridors of power.'
Politician extraordinaire Laloo Prasad Yadav is himself his best satirist and knows what note to strike, anybody who satirizes him would only be second best, feels an actor. 