Rajpal Yadav’s character from the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise is loved by all. He plays Chhote Pandit, a caricaturish priest who saw the ‘mahal ki bhootni’, Manjulika, for the first time in the maiden installment. Over the years, his character has transitioned and got newer shades. Not just the personality, there’s a difference in the colour used on his body too!
In an exclusive interview with Zoom ahead of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’s release, Rajpal decoded the importance of Chhote Pandit to the story. The actor said his character has been inspired by centuries-old clowns, known as Vidushak in Hindi.
Rajpal Yadav on Chhote Pandit's importance and origin
Rajpal said, “Chhote Pandit ka character Bhool Bhulaiyaa ka hissa isiliye bana kyunki yeh 1000 saal purana hai. Bharatmuni ke Natyashastra mein ek vidushak ki kalpana ki gayi hai. Vidushak raja ka darbar ho ya praja ka, voh apna mazak udake logon ka manoranjan karta hai. Voh aisa character hai joh sabko priy hai. Chhote Pandit ka character Vidushak se prerit hai.”
(Translation: Chhote Pandit’s character is a part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa because it is centuries old. Bharatmuni’s Natyashastra mentions of a Vidushak (clown) who entertains everyone. Be it in the king or local citizens, he is loved by all. Chhote Pandit’s role is based on those people.)
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Colour coding
Talking about the evolution of Chhote Pandit, the actor shared, “Bahar se dekhenge toh yeh clownish role hai. Humare nature mein 5 colours hote hai. Laal, neela, peela, hara aur safed. Pehle mein bhootni ka samna kiya toh laal, dusre mein bijli aur current zyada hai isiliye safed. Chandan pe ek doha hai, “Chandan vish vyapat nahi lapte rahat bhujang,” iska yeh matlab hai agar bhujang bhi aas paas ho toh chandan aapko bachayega. Sheetalta pradan karta hai. The character has a comic interlude.Caricaturish ke saath uska ek symbolic meaning bhi hai ki duniya ko ab thande hone ki zarurat hai.”
(Translation: Chhote Pandit is a clownish character. There are 5 colours in nature, namely, red, blue, yellow, green and white. In the first part, I had the colour red on me. The sequel had more electricity and lightening hence white. The threequel will see me in yellow. It represents sandalwood and also has symbolism. It indicates that the world needs to calm down.)
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 releases on November 1.