Lucknow-born actor Atul Srivastava is better known for the characters he’s played in films like 'Munnabahai MBBS', 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and more recently 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' and 'Stree'. Excited about his next release, ' Batti Gul Meter Chalu ', in which he plays Shahid Kapoor’s father, Atul says he’s come a long way from his days as a student at the Bhartendu Natya Akademi (BNA), Lucknow. Sharing with us some fond memories of the city he was born in, Atul says, "Whatever I am today is all because of Lucknow. I used to live in the CSIR Colony in Nirala Nagar and have the fondest memories of the place. I may be living in Mumbai now for work, but Lucknow will always be home for me and this is where my heart lies."Atul Srivastava with Shahid Kapoor in a scene from Batti Gul Meter Chalu (BCCL)An alumnus of Baal Shiksha Niketan in Qaiserbagh and Queen’s College, Lucknow, Atul says what he misses most about Lucknow is the 'befikri' that he felt here. "Those were such carefree days. Sharma Chaat in Hazratganj was my favourite eatery. I used to love his paani ke batashe. Aaj bhi agar mein Lucknow aata hoon toh wahan ki chaat zaroor khata hoon. Phir Hanuman Setu mera chakkar zaroor lagta tha. I was always a movie-buff. Once I went to Hanuman Setu and told Hanumanji ki aaj agar picture nahi dikhayi toh kal se darshan karne nahi aaunga. And seriously, my friend and I went and stood outside Gulab cinema and there someone came and tapped on my shoulder and said ‘yeh lo ticket’. I told him that I don’t have money to pay for it so he said ‘free mein jao picture dekho’. Bas phir toh main roz mandir jaane laga. Once we went to the swimming pool and there was my friend Ram, who used to study in La Martiniere, who said ki aaj picture dekhne ka mann ho raha hai. And believe me, while swimming, we saw a 10 rupees note lying near the swimming pool. Bas phir kya tha, we went straight to watch a film. Toh aisi yaadein hain Lucknow ki."Talking more about his hometown, Atul, who’s a BNA passout, gives all the credit to the academy for his success. "I give all the credit for my acting abilities to BNA. I am a student of Prof Raj Bisaria and what I have learnt from him has been invaluable. We were some of the lucky ones that in our time, in 1984-85, we had the best teachers. We used to have guests lecturers from the National School of Drama, Delhi come and take lessons. So BNA ka bahut bada haath hai meri kala ko nikharne mein. People think that acting is an inborn talent, true, but an institute hones that skill and teaches you how to use it. That’s what BNA did to me."Atul Srivastava with Akshay Kumar in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (BCCL)But what bothers Atul about the institute is it’s not acknowledging its star pupils. "At this very time, most of the best directors in the TV industry are BNA products. Also, so many actors are there in the TV industry and in Bollywood who have trained at BNA. The boy playing the main role in the show on Sai Baba is a BNA product. But hardly anyone knows it," he avers, adding, "See, an institute is made by its students and each student is made by an institute. The problem is that neither the institute talks about its star pupils nor do the students talk about the institute. Agar aaj aapne pehli baar jaana ki main BNA ka hoon toh usmein kami meri bhi hai aur institute ki bhi. Na maine kabhi iske pehle iski baat kari aur institute ne kabhi bataya nahi ki yeh phalana film mein jisne Salman ke father ka role kiya tha woh BNA ka hai. Chaliye maine nahi kaha, but the institute should at least acknowledge its students. Jab ek baar logon ko pata chalega ki kaun-kaun BNA se nikala hai, people will automatically acknowledge the institute and know about it. People have to rise above their insecurity and talk about the achievements of the institute and its students. That’s all that I can say."Sharing screen space with big-wigs like Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Rajkummar Rao, Atul says he doesn’t have any qualms playing just character roles. "That’s where the versatility of an actor comes in," he reasons, adding, "I have played a father to Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao. I may be playing a father in most films, but the father in each one has different characteristics. I think it’s the strength of an actor that he can play the same role but bring out noticeable differences in each. Ek hi character ko har baar alag dhang se portray karna hi ek actor ki khoobi hai. I don’t take up roles which have nothing new for me to do."A known name on TV too, Atul says that few know that he has acted in over a hundred serials. "People know me by my characters. Just a few know my real name. Aap kisi ko kahiye Atul Srivastava and people will give a blank look but mention Diwakar Chaturvedi , Salman’s father in 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' or Sumitro Das of ' Jeannie Aur Juju ' or even Jogeshwar Prasad of ' Service Wali Bahu ' and they would know me immediately. That’s because I let my character speak for me. I am happy with people knowing me that way instead of my real name," says Atul.

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