Omi Vaidya, aka Chatur Ralingam, or Silencer is one of the most memorable character from Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots. The American actor was also known for his Hollywood stints on The Office, From Embers and Shameless. Omi recalls his audition, first-day on set, relationship with the team and more as the timeless film celebrates its 15th anniversary.
15 Years of 3 Idiots
In an exclusive interview with SCREEN he says, "It's great, and it hasn't felt that long." The people keep watching the film, and that keeps it alive. This film is the exception. Movies come and go, but this one stays. "I knew it was a great film, but I never imagined it would still resonate 15 years later."
'I had watched 2-3 Hindi films in my entire life'
The actor admits that he didn't want to do 3 Idiots but was offered the role. "I was concentrating on my Hollywood roles and the development of The Office. At that time, they were searching for newcomers to America. At that time, none of the roles had been cast, and the half of the script hadn't yet been written. They were looking only for American-Indians. One of my Ohio friends told me to audition when I was in India attending a wedding. She was working as the assistant co-writer for the film Abhijat Joshuai at the time. She asked me to come to their office in Bombay. "I said that in my life I'd only seen 2-3 Hindi movies, and I didn't have much interest in them," he says.
Omi adds: "I never worked on Bollywood films, but always on American projects. She told me that I probably won't be able to get the job, but she said to send them your The Office material and we'll see what happens. My mother told me that auditioning for a Bollywood movie is a great experience. They gave me Raju's lines when I went. I practiced two pages of lines for four hours. The casting director told me that I didn't know the language. Thanks for coming, but you could leave. "I never auditioned for this role."
He was then called back, and given Sanjay's Lage Raho Munna Bhai script. They called me again and told me that they would give me a script to practice at home. The script is from a film called Lage Raho Munna Bhai. I had never seen the movie and knew nothing about its plot. The script said that SanjayDutt was talking about injustice. I told them I wouldn't be able do justice to his performance, as he takes it so seriously. I'll have some fun and pretend I don't understand what he's saying. I knew that I wouldn't be getting the role, and I was auditioning for fun. I was confident during my audition. I made mistakes on purpose. "They were laughing. I went back to America and didn't even think about it," he says.
"Had To Give Up A Role In How I Met Your Mother"
The 42-year old had to turn down a fantastic offer to star in a popular Hollywood series so that she could go to the next round. "I almost got the role in How I Met Your Mother. These guys said we also liked your audition. The video was circulated and everyone loved me. Aamir had been cast by that time. The company asked me to go to New Mexico to audition again, so I had to turn down the very good offer for HIMYM. After the audition Raju called to say, "You are improving in Hindi, do not do better." We want you to have weak Hindi. Omi says, "Don't even think about learning it.
The actor decided to accept the role against the advice of his American agents. I did stereotypical roles for my Hollywood projects. I didn't even read the script, but I knew that it would be a decent part. I decided to do just one Bollywood movie in my lifetime. All of my American agents said that I was crazy to do the movie and risk my career. It was the Indian wave that swept through here, and I missed out on many projects. "But I enjoyed making that film," he says. I had to gain weight or lose weight and shave my hair to look older. The script was given to me three days prior to the shoot. "They did it on purpose to get me to use raw language."
When asked about Silencer's famous Chamatkar speech scene (Balatkar), when he said the wrong one in college, he replied, "I never saw the humor in it. I even didn't try to play up comedy in the movie. It was a tragic character who couldn't speak Hindi. That's all it was for me. If he could speak Hindi well, he wouldn't be funny. When I first saw the speech I was only thinking about the character. I think it's an amazing speech he wrote, and he's unaware that the words were changed. "It's his time to shine. That's what I read in the script!"
He then reveals that he knew the exact meaning of every speech. "I speak Marathi. It was easy to understand. My character does not know this. It's rumored that I didn't understand what I said, but it's not the truth. He continued to address the jokes surrounding the topic - "Memes have become a part the culture and that's awesome." I'm from America, so I don't see these things very often. However, people have sent them to me on occasion. "I see these and I feel good about Chatur's power and his presence everywhere."
A joke by Rajkumar Hirani
Omi also reveals that Rajkumar Hirani played a hilarious joke on him on the first day of filming 3 Idiots. We were filming the ragging scenes on the first day of shooting. I'm a dedicated actor and I trust my director. When it came time to shoot they brought in something shiny and gold. "I was uncomfortable in such little clothing, and then it was a gold thong. But I wanted to do my best for my director," he says.
The actor continues to laugh and says, "I talked to Rajkumar, and I said that, 'I'm not sure if this is good for the character. I think the American version would be a better choice'. He said, "Oh no, it was just a joke." It's funny you actually planned to wear it. Everyone knew that it was Raju’s joke."
When asked about Silencer's famous Chamatkar speech scene (Balatkar), when he said the wrong one in college, he replied, "I never saw the humor in it. I even didn't try to play up comedy in the movie. It was just a tragic, non-Hindi speaking character for me. I think he wouldn't be funny if he could speak Hindi. I was only thinking about the character's perspective when I watched the speech. I think it's an amazing speech that he wrote, and he's unaware that the words were changed. "It's his time to shine. That's what I read in the script!"
He then reveals that he knew the exact meaning of every speech. "I speak Marathi. It was easy to understand. My character does not know this. It's a rumour I didn't understand what I said, but it's not true. He continued to address the jokes surrounding the topic - "Memes have become a part our culture and that's awesome." I'm from America, so I don't see these things very often. However, people have sent them to me on occasion. "I see these and I feel good about Chatur's power and his presence everywhere."
A joke by Rajkumar Hirani
Omi also reveals that Rajkumar Hirani played a hilarious joke on him on the first day of filming 3 Idiots. We were filming the ragging scenes on the first day of shooting. I'm a dedicated actor and I trust my director. When it came time to shoot they brought me a shiny, gold thing. "I was uncomfortable in such little clothing, and then it was a gold thong. But I wanted to do my best for my director," he says.
The actor continues to laugh and says, "I talked to Rajkumar, and I said that, 'I'm not sure if this is good for the character. I think the American version would be a better choice'. He said, "Oh no, it was just a joke." It's funny you actually planned to wear it. Everyone knew that it was Raju’s joke."
Rajkumar Hirani's unique filmmaking style
Omi says "I've worked with many directors, and they all seem to be very serious, focused and stressed while shooting. He was so easy to work with. He appeared to be so prepared, he could relax. It was like an uncle having fun, but still very present, for making something timeless. He used to chat and have some tea with Aamir, as well as play badminton in the morning. He trusted his characters, just as he cast the best actors and let them do their job."
He calls him a great actor and reveals that was never afraid to give his suggestions. “Of all actors, he gave the most suggestions. He would ask the most questions during rehearsals. It was wonderful to have someone so involved in his role and other roles. He did not want to change anything but to improve the situation. His suggestions were not always implemented, but sometimes they were extremely beneficial. There was no ego in his refusal to use them. "He was only interested in making sure the film came out well," he concludes.
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