Back in the act

Manav has been missing in TV serials for three years now. How does it feel to be back in action now? “What excites me the most is that I will be playing a pivotal role in the serial. After three years,a comeback is very difficult. It’s tough being a beginner again,” he admits,and quickly adds,“But,I wasn’t completely idle for three years. My time was devoted to my family. I had raced through my career in the beginning so I deserved to take a break.” He is a tad nervous about his new stint. He says,“The rural accent adopted by my co-actors is so accurate that I wonder if I’ll make it or not in the serial!”

Manav has previously been a part of the saas-bahu serials like Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kasauti Zindagi Ki to name a few. He agrees that they were very women-centric,but says,“It was my will to work that kept me going. Though the serials revolved around women,it was my privilege to be associated with Balaji. I learnt a lot and matured as an actor during those years.”

A new era has crept into the world of television. Gone are the days when the back-to-back serials would have the same stories of vamps v/s the bahus. Now,it is the time of reality shows. Manav nods,“Earlier,all the serials would go through their plot and finally end on a happy note. But today,reality shows have taken over,and everything’s not always hunky-dory. In fact,they’ve swallowed all the earlier TV serial concepts.” Then,as an after thought,he adds,“I’ve been in this industry for almost 10 years now. Through my journey,I’ve figured out that television soaps describe one’s popularity and not identity.”

The actor does not have any other serials in the pipeline,and says it’s too early to talk about a movie project. “Bhanwra,under the Dharmesh Darshan banner,is still waiting to be released,” he says. When he’s not acting,he does do corporate shows and advertisements. “That’s how I get the bread and butter on the table. After all,I’m not a big celebrity,” he humbly adds.