Shivaji Satam on playing ACP Pradyuman 14 years and still going strong. What keeps you attached to CID? (Laughs) Its become a part of my life. The serial,the concept,the cast everything is so endearing that I cant live without them. Also,there is a certain pride in playing the role and I say this with humility. Since I hail from Marathi theatre,I try different ways to make the character interesting by slightly modulating my voice. The best part of it is that its a wholesome serial that four generations in a family can sit together and watch. What do you love about the serial? The fact that despite being fictional,it is as real as possible. The characters of ACP Pradyuman,Daya and Abhijeet are credible. They are not handsome,they display no softness in their characters and are plain no-nonsense cops going about their jobs of solving the cases. The three of us are good friends and the chemistry shows on screen. Which has been your toughest case so far? The cases are all nothing but fantasy,but the one case that I found challenging was ACP Pradyuman killing his own son who has gone astray. Despite all his efforts,Pradyuman is unable to reform his son who has taken to drug distribution and indulges in anti-national activities. In the end,he kills him in the line of duty. However the next moment he collapses on his sons dead body and cries his heart out,like a father. Then,there was a time where I lose my eyesight for six episodes. It was challenging. In one series,I get to play unbelievable interesting shades,which is quite rare on TV. Candidly,have you ever broken rules and got away from cops because of the popularity of your character? (Smiles) Yes,there have been a few instances when my driver has jumped the signal and cops have stopped us. However,as soon as they see me,they smile and let us go without a fine. Thats because they feel CID projects the cops in a good light. That doesnt mean I deliberately break rules though! Are kids your biggest fans? They do love me but I dont know if they are my biggest fans. At traffic signals,when urchins see me they insist that I roll down my window,not to give money but just to shake hands with them. These include boys who sell books too. Not only in India,the serial and I get a lot of love from Pakistanis and foreigners of Indian origin too.
