Mahabharat Trivia: Veteran actor Girija Shankar, who played the iconic character of King Dhritarashtra in BR Chopra’s ‘Mahabharata’ (1988), has said goodbye to India and Hindi entertainment industry forever and these days he has settled in Los Angeles city of America. At the age of 28, Girija Shankar, who played the challenging role of a blind king, had moved abroad with the aim of working in Hollywood and international projects and now he has become a producer himself and keeps making Punjabi and English films under his production house.
Girija Shankar, who grew up in Patiala, Punjab, never wanted to become an actor. His childhood dream was to serve the country by joining the Indian Air Force. Therefore, he had given the Air Force entrance exam regularly, but he could not succeed in it. Then he turned to theater and joined the famous Prithvi Theater of Mumbai. Director during a play in the same theater BR Chopra He was noticed by Girija Shankar, who, seeing his strong performance, gave him a small but good role in his film ‘Aaj Ki Awaaz’.
How did Girija Shankar get the role of ‘Dhritarashtra’ at the age of just 28?
When BR Chopra’s team hired Girija Shankar as ‘Mahabharata‘ When he was offered the role of King Dhritarashtra, the father of the Kauravas, he was only 28 years old. It was extremely risky for a young actor to play the role of a blind old man twice his age on screen, so he was very hesitant in the beginning.
Girija Shankar had revealed this in an interview given to the leading newspaper ‘Hindustan Times’ in the year 2020. He had told, “Initially I was a little scared because people did not know much about the importance of Dhritarashtra in the Mahabharata. But the makers gave me a book on which they had thought of making this serial. When I read it for 4-5 days, then I realized that in fact he is the main character of this show, because if seen, the beginning and end of the Mahabharata revolve around him.”
What difficulties did Girija Shankar face in playing the role of Dhritarashtra?
Girija Shankar had worked hard to portray the character of a blind king on screen. He visited many special schools in Mumbai where blind children studied, so that Girija Shankar could closely understand their expressions and body language.
Referring to the physical challenges faced during the shooting, Girija Shankar had said, “I had to maintain the same look and the same posture continuously for more than two years. I used to get very tired because I had to train myself to look straight without moving my pupils. Because of this, it became necessary to take a short break in between the shoots at times.”
Apart from Mahabharata, Girija Shankar was seen in these serials and films
After the blockbuster success of ‘Mahabharat’, Girija Shankar proved his acting prowess in many other TV shows and films. He was also an important part of Doordarshan’s cult serials ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Uttaran’ and Ramanand Sagar’s popular fantasy show ‘Alif Laila’. Apart from this, he also worked in Bollywood and regional cinema, which includes ‘Pratigyabaddh’, ‘Jurm’, ‘Gunahgaar’, ‘Shiva’, ‘Policewala Gunda’ and the Punjabi film ‘Gaddaar: The Traitor’.
Why did Girija Shankar suddenly leave everything and go abroad?
Despite earning good name and recognition in the Indian entertainment world, Girija Shankar wanted to work at the global level. He left India decades ago and settled in Los Angeles, California to work in Hollywood films, international short films and independent cinema and learn the nuances of film making on a large scale.
These days he is working on projects related to his own production company in America itself. Although he is away from India, he still remains connected with his fans of ‘Mahabharata’ through digital platforms and social media.
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