Dumped for a better career!!!

It has happened so many times before. Avant- garde directors who started off being committed to committed actors suddenly become committed to more commercial considerations.

It happened when Prakash Jha crossed over from Anu Kapoor in Damul to Ajay Devgan in Ganga Jal. Poor Anu kept quiet.

But the volatile Naseeruddin Shah was far more vocal when the auteur Ketan Mehta decided to make his dream project Kartoos on the life of Mangal Pandey with Amitabh Bachchan. The film finally got made with Aamir Khan in the lead.

Naseer blasted Mehta for deserting those who supported the cause of meaningful cinema.So did Om Puri who felt betrayed cheated and let down when his favourite director Govind Nihalani switched from the Om- Naseer brigade to Ajay Devgan in Takshak. This, after Om provided Nihalani with infinite inspirational energy in Aakrosh, Ardh Satya and numerous other films.

Now it's Rajpal Yadav's turn to be left behind in the rat race.

Having been a prominent and pivotal part of Chandan Arora's first two fine-and-relevant feature films Main Madhuri Dixit Ban-na Chahti Hoon and Main Meri Patni Aur Woh, it was expected that Rajpal would naturally be an intrinsic part of Chandan's third film.

But Chandan's new venture Striker features Siddharth in the lead.

Explains Arora, "Rajpal and I share a tuning that goes beyond one film. If I had my way I'd feature him in all my films. But after Main Madhuri and Main Meri Patni AurWoh didn't work out, coming together for a third film would have made both of us look like losers drifting together. Rajpal has proved himself as an actor. I need to get my credibility -level high."

Rajpal, currently shooting in the back of the beyond laughs off any question of betrayal. "Chandan and I have done two films together and they've been decisive to my career.

Whatever work I'm doing today is because of Main Madhuri (where I wasn't Madhuri) and Main Meri Patni Aur Woh (where I wasn't the patni). In future whenever Chandan and I come together it would be with mazbooti (strength) not out of majboori (lack of choice)."

Rajpal no longers insists on leads. "I can create my space in even a cameo, as I've done in my new release Bhool Bhulaiya. Or it can be the lead, like Dhol. In fact I'm the lead with Govinda in Chal Chala Chal and in Rakesh Roshanji's Krazy 4. I've listened to 45-50 scripts in the last few months. Of these I've chosen to be in just 4-5 films."

Tell him how his presence in the otherwise-disastrous Go brings the house down and Rajpal is delighted. "I'm blessed. I came into the industry only to be an actor, How was to know audiences would love me so much?

If today they start laughing the minute they see me on screen I want to pay them back for their love by not making false moves. No more films like Undertrial for me."