‘Where there is love, there will be drama’

Ganesh has played a variety of roles in his nearly two-decades-old career, and in Suni’s Chamak, he will be seen in a character he hasn't played before -- that of a gynaecologist named Dr Kush. The story is about a husband and wife, and how they deal with something that is ‘missing’ in their relationship. The actor tells CE that he easily slips into leads in romance films because “it is about the bond two souls share.”

“When I came to know that I would be playing a gynaecologist, I took tips from my doctor friends,” he says, adding, “I also realised that all husbands play ‘gynaecologist’ at one point in their lives. We don’t help deliver the baby, but we stand by our wives and take equal care till childbirth and after.”

But Suni has introduced a twist in this character, which is his love for partying. Ganesh says, “He is human first and then a doctor. But there has to be a limit to indulgences too. Dr Kush likes to spend time with his friends and loves socialising. Will it be the same after marriage and will he find a way to strike a balance between friends and family? These are some of the questions Chamak tries to address.”

Ganesh says, “People who miss having real love in their lives will relate to this film… Probably, after watching this film, especially the last twenty minutes of it, they might even find a way to return to their loved ones.”

The actor is amazed at how committed a woman-homemaker is towards her family. “A homemaker, I would say, is a master of all arts and 24 hours and seven days is not enough for them. As men, we step into our daily routine and are lost to the world. Women work too, but they manage to stay engaged with the family. She is a daughter to parents and her parents-in-law, a wife and mother, and above all has to take care of herself. A homemaker is a complete woman,” he says.

Ganesh says that today a man and his wife stand equal. “I believe that if you look after your wife and keep her happy, she will in turn take care of the family. It is necessary to spend quality time with one's wife,” he says.

In real life too, he invests in love. “Once in a while I love cooking for Shilpa,” he says. “If I am not shooting, I enjoy helping her out in the kitchen, which is where I spend quality time with her. In fact my daughter Charitriya joins us in the kitchen to cook. How we behave also influences our children.”

With his hectic schedule, he must miss his family, how does he manage that? “Technology has helped us stay close,” he says. “We have video calls. Thanks to wi-fi, we stay in touch. I usually miss home and the lounge where I sit. If anybody wants to meet me, they'll always find me there.”

In Chamak, there is apparently a one-liner Dr Kush uses frequently, and Ganesh asks the audience to watch out for it.   

Ganesh says that Suni, as a director, gives space for improvisation and is open to suggestions. “A lot of discussions happened at the table and even on the sets; the equation we had worked out well for us,” says Ganesh, adding, “While Chamak is Suni idea, I have tried to add value to it.”

The film made under Crystal Park Films features Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead.