EXCLUSIVE: Kay Kay Menon explains Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is not meant to “give gyaan”; says, “Some things can be light and watch it for what it is”
Kay Kay Menon has often been seen in intense roles, including cops, investigators and characters operating in darker or more serious worlds. However, his latest series, Prime Video’s Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya, allows the actor to explore a more overtly humorous side of his performance. The seven-episode series started streaming on July 24 and also stars Archana Puran Singh, Prasanna Bisht and Naveen Kasturia.
Set in a dysfunctional government school in Delhi, Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya follows a laidback headmaster whose plan to organise a fully paid Cambridge trip leads to an attempt to transform the struggling institution. The resulting chaos forms the basis of the show’s comedy.
In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Menon addressed whether the series represents a departure from the darker roles he has frequently played. The actor pointed out that humour has actually been present in several of his earlier performances, even if those projects did not always receive the same level of attention.
“Actually, over a period of time I’ve done this kind of stuff, just that something gets popular, something doesn’t. You can’t help that. I’ve done Sankat City earlier, I’ve done Benny & Babloo earlier, I’ve done Farzi earlier, you know, so many of them,” Menon said.
The actor added that he naturally tries to incorporate humour into his performances, regardless of the genre or character he is playing. “It’s just that there are different people and I inherently try and bring some humour into whatever I’m doing, even if it’s Himmat Singh. So that has been in the grain. Here it’s out and out. It’s in that sense different,” he explained.
Menon also stressed that his approach to Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya was not simply about playing a headmaster. Instead, he focused on understanding and portraying Gyaneshwar Tripathi, the character created for him by the show’s makers. “I’m still trying to play that person called Gyaneshwar Tripathi. So if he was Ramesh Tripathi, he would have been a different person. So I’m not playing the headmaster at all. I’m playing that person who has been given to me by Biswapati Sarkar and gang,” he said.
For Menon, finding the personality behind the designation is central to his acting process. He said his effort is always to portray the individual rather than simply the profession or position associated with the character. “That is my endeavour always, to play the person, and I find him very endearing,” the actor added.
Kay Kay Menon says Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is meant to be taken lightly
Given that Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is set against the backdrop of a government school and revolves around teachers attempting to address problems within the institution, Menon was also asked whether the show reflects India’s education system or attempts to offer audiences a message of hope.
The actor clarified that the series should primarily be viewed as a work of humour rather than a serious commentary on the education system. “It’s a very light take, nothing too serious. If people want to take a lesson out of it, most welcome. But it is a fictitious school. It is a dysfunctional school in a fictitious town called Tinki Toli which doesn’t exist,” he said.
Menon further explained that viewers do not necessarily need to look for a deeper message in every aspect of the story. “So the entire thing has to be seen as a portion of humour. You really can’t, because otherwise what happens is that nowadays everybody tries to take out something from [everything]. Some things can be light and watch it for what it is,” he said.
At the same time, the actor acknowledged that the writers may have drawn from their own experiences while developing the story and characters. “I’m sure the writers have had their own experiences and which is why the script has come about. They’ve taken it from their own lives perhaps, and it’s very well written,” Menon said.
He also maintained that he does not approach his performances with the intention of teaching audiences or offering them advice. “So, as an actor, all I can say is that I’ve never endeavoured to give a lesson to people or give gyaan,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “which is why I don’t even do podcasts because I can’t give gyaan anymore.”
With Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya, Menon gets to foreground a lighter quality that has appeared in his work before but is more central to this particular character. The actor’s comments also underline his focus on playing Gyaneshwar Tripathi as an individual rather than simply presenting another version of a school headmaster.
Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is currently streaming on Prime Video.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Kay Kay Menon explains Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is not meant to “give gyaan”; says, “Some things can be light and watch it for what it is” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.