Amol Palekar: Can return to screen if role is challenging

Veteran actor and filmmaker Amol Palekar, who has stopped acting in films, is ready to return to the silver screen if a challenging and exciting role came his way.
"I have not acted for 22 years now. But, I did come out and act in one of my own films, Samantar, a Marathi film. One of the biggest attractions in that was, not only my acting again, (but) Sharmila Tagore acting in a Marathi film.
"So, me and Sharmila Tagore was a different kind of an attraction for all the people. But I did that role only because I got excited about that character," he said, talking to PTI here.
"I thought here is something new, something different which I have not done and I have a chance to do that. If and when I get that kind of an offer, to do something different, something exciting, something challenging, of course, I will do that," said the actor, who regaled the audiences in 70s and 80s with his roles in middle-class romantic comedies.
Palekar, a former chief of Children's Film Society of India, is in the city for the ongoing 18th International Children's Film Festival of India.
He said he and his wife Sandhya Gokhale, a writer, were working on a children's film currently.
The couple had earlier made Dumkata, a child-centric film, which had Om Puri in the cast and music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Observing that commercial aspect cannot be a reason for not making enough children's films in the country, Palekar said successful mainstream directors and filmmakers should make an effort to make these films commercially viable.
"Instead of just saying children's films are not commercially viable, make it viable. Try something new. Try something different.
"If you are going to follow set pattern, market wants this, so I will keep on giving that. That is (only) one way of reacting to the market," Palekar said.
Asserting that parameters of commercially successful films never remained constant, he expressed confidence that talented directors can make commercially successful children's films as well.
"I am quite sure that people, who have so much knowledge and capacity to rule the market and to change the rules and take it to a further higher level, they are capable of changing the market for anything and everything (including making children's films commercially viable).
"You have to find some different idea, some different slot and some different niche," he said.
Regretting that children's films and children have remained a neglected area, Palekar said there should be a collective effort by the society, instead of expecting the government to do everything.
"We all must feel that let's make child our focal point and try and create the best possible atmosphere, the best possible world for our children... if we can create that, we will have a much better tomorrow and we will also feel very satisfied."