Dheeraj Dhoopar on not switching to Bollywood: ‘Whatever I am today is because of TV and I respect that’

Also Read: Dheeraj Dhoopar all set to play a grey character in Saubhavgyavati Bhava

Considering how Rabb Se Hai Dua questions the concept of multiple marriages in the Muslim community, when asked if there was skepticism considering the sensitivity of the subject, Dheeraj shared, “I don’t think about all those aspects. There are legal and creative teams for that, nothing will go out of control. People will understand where we are coming from. This is purely a fictional story. I never played a Muslim character, so doing namaz, and learning Urdu is a very new space for me and I am enjoying it.”

After his sudden exit from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa last year due to a knee injury, Dheeraj Dhoopar had very short-lived stints on Sherdill Shergill and Saubhagyawati Bhava. Explaining what went wrong and how it is not easy to please the audience today, Dheeraj opined, “We didn’t get good numbers for both the shows. Sherdill Shergill was a very new-age concept. Everybody was excited, but it didn’t work. The audience couldn’t understand a single mother concept. I was very excited to play a grey character in Saubhagyawati Bhava, but we didn’t get the numbers so they had to pull the plug.”

He added, “Today, it is very difficult to please the audience. 10 to 12 years ago, social media was not so strong, and there were no OTT platforms, but now the audience is very aware. They watch international content, and after watching shows like that, why would they want to see something that is average? I am talking about all shows in general. A lot of shows don’t work because the audience doesn’t want to watch anything that is repeated. Also, attention span is smaller. If they like you at the start and the next scene they don’t like you, they switch the channel. It’s difficult to hold their attention now.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Zee TV (@zeetv) 

Around 2019, Dheeraj was venturing into films, and while he chose to move to the Punjabi industry, things didn’t quite materialize there. Opening up on the same, he said, “Making a career in the Punjabi film industry has always been the plan, but the timing was bad. When we did a recce for my first film as a producer and actor, everything was finalized and Covid happened. Then we saw what went down in Bollywood. Imagine those films were not doing well, so what would happen in Punjab? So I took a break to get back when the time was right.”

Sharing what kept him away from entering Bollywood all this while, Dheeraj added, “All TV actors have a wish to come on the big screen, I also do, but I will not switch mediums just for the sake of it. If I get something as good as what I do on TV, then I might take it up. Whatever I am today is because of TV and I respect that. I did a web show that became a superhit, but I also did TV simultaneously. Now I am shooting for Tatlubaaz 2 while I am working on this show. I want to create that kind of space for me where I am working on all mediums simultaneously.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dheeraj Dhoopar (@dheerajdhoopar) 

Indian Express Entertainment is now on WhatsApp Channels. Follow us for the latest news, interviews, reviews, photos and more.

Dheeraj Dhoopar doesn’t believe in the concept of taking a break. The actor says he loves being on set, but what he also loves is being a father. Sharing how being around his son Zain is quite a stress buster, Dheeraj, on a parting note, said, “When I am around Zain, all I want to be is a father. I am not a star or an actor that time. We had our first child after six years and now we think we should have planned it earlier.”