Taking the big leap

Casting coup:

I was performing for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Karan Johar was one of the judges. That’s when he spotted me. I went and gave my auditions and fortunately, to my surprise, Karan and director Shashank Khaitan liked it. So, I bagged the role.

Stepping stone:

I started doing telivision in 2008 because I thought I should learn how to act and there is no better platform than television soaps to hone my acting skills. Acting didn’t come naturally to me. I come from a family of bankers. Later, I was suppose to do a couple of films, which didn’t work out and that’s when I realised acting is serious business. That’s when television happened. I was first selected for Babul ka Aangan, then Jaane Pehchaane Se Ye Ajnabbi and consequently, I landed in Love U Zindagi, which was followed by Balika Vadhu.

First shot:

For the first scene, they gave me four pages and asked me if it was difficult. I told them, I do twenty pages every day (for television). Shashank remarked, “You tv guys should stop looking down at us film-makers.” That’s how jovial my first shot was.

The takeaway:

I guess I would only know when the movie releases (laughs). Just being part of a production house is a different experience all together. There is a lot that goes into the making of a film, since films are watched many years later. Whereas in television, I might have delivered a fantastic performance, but it is forgotten the very next day.

Stumbling block:

There were no stumbling blocks. Even though Varun and Alia are a couple of films old, nobody was playing senior, which made things really smooth for me. We were shooting in a location outside Bombay for 25 odd days and not a single person in the unit felt homesick. We bonded extremely well with each other. Things happened so smoothly that no body was overworked. Everyone would look forward to coming on sets the next day.

Role model:

My biggest role model is Amitabh Bachchan. The way he speaks and his persona is remarkable. He is an institution on his own. Not only is his acting flawless, he is so punctual even today despite being such a big star. He speaks very well.

Future plans:
I do not intend to quit television. I am not one of those who plans everything. Let’s see where life takes me. From television, I have now come to films. By planning, we think way ahead of our times. I am putting in my best effort in whatever I am doing today. I can’t plan, because things never happen the way I want them to.