Growing a beard isn’t as easy as one thinks: Gautam Rode

Gautam Rode is looking different. He is flaunting a beard and a moustache, which he grew for a role in a short film. “Growing a beard is tough and not as easy as one might think. It itches a lot (laughs). My friends and family found it weird at first, and they felt I wasn’t looking like myself. Later, they grew to love the look on me as did I. They felt I looked cool in a beard,” says the Saraswatichandra actor.

Gautam grew his facial hair for a double role in the short film, with one of them being of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh while another of a young Punjabi boy. It took 45 days to grow a full beard and the “in-between growth looked weird”. He says, “I didn’t want to wear an artificial beard for the role. I had the time to grow a beard, so I went ahead with it. I have always donned different looks going with the requirement of the roles I played.”

He adds, “Like in the TV show Saraswatichandra, I had the normal good boy look; in TV series Maha Kumbh, I had put four shades of tan on my body, put on weight, got stubble and a crew cut to look like the character. In the mythological TV show, Suryaputra Karn, I grew my hair and became leaner. I always want to try and achieve the best look, which is as close to the character as possible. I sleep well when I put in that additional effort for a role.”

Gautam feels one has to look the part to be convincing in a role. “Just working on a character and his mannerisms, but not looking the part, is not my thing. It is your duty as an actor to be honest to the character.” Gaining or losing weight, apt hair style, skin colour - everything matters while portraying a character, feels the actor. “I do it for every role. Initially, in Suryaputra Karn, we tried a wig but it looked unnatural, so I grew my hair. For nine months, I kept the long hair. When I played Rudra in Maha Kumbh, who was brought up in a cemetery, the character had to look a certain way. Main ek gora chitta banda, waisa nahin lag sakta (I am a fair skinned guy, and I can’t look the part). I could have acted my heart out but without these physical attributes, the role wouldn’t have clicked [with the audience].”