At the Goa State Film Festival 2025, the distinguished actor Kanwarjit Paintal conducted a masterclass on August 16th at Maquinez Palace, sharing decades of his experience in film and television acting along with valuable insights on character, timing, and performance. The ‘Chala Murari Hero Banne’ actor spoke eloquently about his passion for teaching acting, the evolution of cinema over the years, and more.
Paintal on the Changing Face of Filmmaking
When asked about how the movies are evolving over the years, whether it is for the betterment, the senior actor noted, “Every change is for the betterment. Unlike our times, now there are a lot more facilities. Technology-wise, we were far behind. Now things are much modern. With everything available.” However, Paintal made it a point to emphasize that movie makers should focus more on content. “I feel that there should be more focus on the quality of content. In the past, filmmaking was driven by passion; it was about the joy and satisfaction of creating something meaningful. Today, however, it has unfortunately become more about commercial viability, about how much money the film will make.”
Acting or Teaching? For Paintal, It's a Passion for Both
The ‘Bawarchi’ actor has been teaching acting for a very long time. In the year 2008, he was the head of the acting department at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. When asked about teaching or acting, which one is favoured by him, Kanwarjit noted, “I feel both acting and teaching acting are very good because my first passion was acting. But when I got into it and I started teaching, I came to understand myself much more. Because when you teach, you also at the same time realize how much you know. So, it was an extension of my acting passion. Teaching made it more.” According to him, more exploration, more knowledge giving is teaching. He said, “You understand your own self more with how much you know.”
When asked about what an actor should be equipped with in this era and time, Kanwarjit noted, “As an actor, they have to build their believability in the character and the situation. You see, till you don't believe in it, you will not be able to react from the heart. Because, as I said, even in the workshop, whatever we do is all lies. To make it truthful, we have to make it true for ourselves.” According to him, believability is one of the most important aspects of acting.