Madan Krishna Shrestha, a highly acclaimed actor, is a personality with multidimensional creative talents. Music, stage, television, or the big screen – he has tried each one of them and registered success in equal amounts.
Finding an equal match, teaming up and forming Ma Ha Jodi and sustaining the partnership for decades make him a different and lucky persona.
The same legendary comedian— Madan Krishna was the guest at Desh Sanchar Chautari this Tuesday.
Shrestha had aspired to be a singer in his early days. He passed the voice test from Radio Nepal, the eligibility test in those days. He has several successful songs in Newari language, his mother tongue, and a few in Nepali as well. “Had I not met Hari Bansa Acharya, I would perhaps have continued to remain a singer and be known as such,” he says.
The duo, throughout their four decades long career, churned out multiple successful stage and television performances: Yamalok, Bigyapan, and Laalpurja, Baanpale, Raat, 15 Gate and Dashain, to name a few. Their dynamic partnership was able to flourish primarily through their faith on good human values and principles like honesty, good family relations, financial integrity and adherence to public sentiment that sought unity.
Focusing on public sentiments particularly their likes and dislikes, we intended to appeal their voices in almost all of our performances. ‘We don’t make crude satire directly but address indirectly to the concerned,’ he said. “Our vigor grew in proportion to the public acceptance of our programmes.”
He recalls some interesting cases of their performances making a whirlwind in the public sphere. The law addressing disputes between landowners and workers (Talsing and Mohi) came into effect shortly after the Radio program ‘Laalpurja’ on the issue was aired. Similarly, some lawmakers returned their vehicles (Pajero) provided by the government after their satire on corruption at the political level.
Shrestha says people should not discount democracy because of ongoing misappropriation and corruption in the country, as chances of guilty brought to justice are always much higher in Democracy.
Our thinking rejuvenates the body, said the septuagenarian who is greatly active coping with the difficulties of Parkinson disease. ‘Life is all about activeness,’ he says, adding life is meaningful as long as one is active, else life has no meaning.