Veteran actor Pankaj Kapur says he would love to take up a comedic role next as he hasn't done something in the lighter space in a while.

The actor, known for the TV series Karamchand, Office Office, as well as films Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Maqbool, said he often receives scripts that are rather "crude".

"I haven't done comedy in a while, I'd love to do it because I did a lot of it in the beginning years of my career. Lately somehow, I think there's a perception about me being a very serious actor. Also, the scripts are not being written,” he told PTI.

"Whatever comes my way is rather crude so I don't take it up. Humour is a medium that I would like to explore. It makes me happy to make people happy. But that doesn't stop me from doing the kind of role that might be offered. Something which is fresh, new and substantial," he added.

The 70-year-old said while acting is his "first love", he is also interested in direction and writing.

Kapur made his feature directorial debut in 2011 with Mausam, headlined by son Shahid Kapoor. In 1998, he directed the TV show Mohandas B.A.L.L.B in which he played the titular detective. As a writer, he released his debut novella Dopehri in 2019.

"Writing comes to me intuitively. When some story, thought or poetry comes to me, I put it down on paper. I haven't largely got most of my writing work printed as yet. Only one book has been printed which is based on a novella that I have written,” he said.

"I also like directing but I don't like working towards convincing a producer to produce a film for me. So, if somebody can do it on my behalf, I'll be very happy to direct a film," he added.

The actor was most recently seen in the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. He will next be seen in the feature film Binny and Family with debutante Anjini Dhawan, granddaughter of veteran actor Anil Dhawan and niece of actor Varun Dhawan.