Sudesh Berry On Surag, IPTA And His Formula For Success In Bollywood

Sudesh Berry On Surag, IPTA And His Formula For Success: "I Am A Tortoise"

"Every criminal, however clever he thinks he is, always leaves behind some clue."

That iconic Surag line still lives in the memory of a whole generation. On the Accompany Akki podcast, Sudesh Berry, who played Inspector Bharat, spoke with host Akash Kumar about the show's craze, his childhood among Bollywood legends, his IPTA training, and his philosophy for surviving the industry.

The Surag craze

Host Akash Kumar grew up waiting for Monday evenings to watch Surag with his family. In those days, one television served the whole household, and in villages, entire neighbourhoods gathered around a single set.

Even the podcast's cameraman shared a memory: he used to take off his clothes and swim across a river to reach the village that had a TV, just so he wouldn't miss Surag.

Inspector Bharat inspired many young viewers to want to look, speak and solve cases the same way.

"We don't act, we are made to act"

Sudesh Berry's response to the praise was humble. He said he didn't do it alone. The director made him do it. Before that, the writer wrote it. And before that, a producer funded it.

"We are puppets," he said. But he also acknowledged that the same scene played by different actors comes out differently, and that spark is a blessing too.

Why Amitabh Bachchan is the only superstar

He asked the host a question: in a country of 140 crore people, is only one person worthy of being a superstar?

His own answer: there are many stars, but only one superstar, the Dhruv Tara, Amitabh Bachchan. Even the biggest names of recent decades, he said, are stars rather than superstars.

He also criticised Bollywood for copying Hollywood labels and English expressions without thought.

The tortoise and the rabbit

On his steady career, he said: "They are all rabbits. I am a tortoise. I am a rhino. I am an elephant. I walk slow. I save my breath for a cross-country."

Asked about highs and lows, he joked that even his lows are high, because "a dead elephant is still taller than a dog." He said he never chases highs. That, he added, is left to people who rely on intoxicants.

Growing up in Char Bungalow

Sudesh Berry grew up in Char Bungalow, Mumbai, which he called the womb of Bollywood. Many legends came there to struggle, including Roshan ji, Dharmendra, Shakti Samanta, Premnath, Geeta Bali, Pran, Gulzar, Sahir Ludhianvi and Krishan Chander.

He recalled how many of them didn't have money for a matchbox back then, and later lived in bungalows on Pali Hill. "This is the main thing," he said. Struggle and hard work.

His own childhood was simple and middle class: playing marbles, dancing to a beaten ghee tin at Holi, and living near home and school.

Boxing, fitness and going with the flow

He became a boxer almost by accident, he said. He kept a compact, chiselled physique (27-inch waist, 42-inch chest), drank only water, avoided junk food and lived simply.

His life advice: enjoy what you do and go with the flow. If you're river rafting, enjoy the ride instead of panicking. "Go with the flow. Enjoy the flow."

Shaped by IPTA

Sudesh Berry credits his diction and expression to IPTA, the Indian People's Theatre Association, and to his guru Ramesh Talwar. He described Shabana Azmi and others from that circle as his gurus.

"Everything you see in me today is IPTA's gift," he said.

If he wasn't an actor

He joked that he'd have become a goon. When the host suggested he'd have joined the Army or the police, given how many uniformed roles he has played, he laughed and said Punjab hasn't taken a contract to protect the country.

He recalled a former Mumbai Police Commissioner once telling him at a party that he was "the only policeman without a stomach", a reference to how fit he was back then. "I'm a fake policeman," he joked. "They're the real ones."

The struggle for newcomers

Sudesh Berry's advice to young actors arriving in Mumbai was direct.

At 25 or 30, he said, people arrive with a package of useless ego, believing they're made of iron and can split mountains. First, throw out all those thoughts.

His formula:

• Pray for wisdom and positive energy
• Make your own line bigger without touching anyone else's
• Rely on the values your parents gave you
• Test yourself: if someone slaps you and you hold your reaction, you grow. React instantly, and you're finished.

The lion and the arrow

He described success through two images.

A lion sits silently behind the bushes for half an hour without making a sound, then strikes. Patience comes before the leap.

An archer pulls the bow back before releasing the arrow. "Pull back into yourself," he said. Stay within your values, karma and roots. Then release, and you'll hit the target.

When you build that energy, he believes, opportunities will come looking for you.

Respect money, time and women

His first earning, he recalled, was ₹1,000 for Vansh. He said that what you value, you attract, but he was clear he meant passion, not obsession.

He also spoke strongly about respect:

• Respect time
• Respect elders
• Respect women

A family, society or country that doesn't respect women, he said, cannot thrive.

He also reflected on money's limits, describing wealthy people who die in hospital surrounded by cash that can't save them.

How to handle rejection

His view: "Nobody rejects anybody. Who are you to reject me?"

If you're rejected, he advised, sit quietly, chant Om Namah Shivaya, and make yourself so strong that one day the same people come to your door to call you.

Surag 2 and Vansh 2?

He's hopeful that sequels like Surag 2 and Vansh 2 could happen, and joked he'll still be the hero at 90. He pointed to actors like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as institutions who keep working in old age.

Key takeaways

• Surag created memories for an entire generation of families.
• Sudesh Berry sees actors as instruments of a larger creative chain.
• He considers Amitabh Bachchan the only true superstar.
• Slow and steady, like a tortoise, can outlast fast starts.
• Drop ego, rely on values and practise patience.
• Rejection is temporary if you keep strengthening yourself.

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Did you watch Surag as a child? What do you remember most?