'My dream role is a corrupt police officer like Chulbul '-Raunaq Ahuja

Raunaq Ahuja is now essaying two roles simultaneously in two different shows. When he is the bold and straight husband in Zee TV's Sanjog Se Bani Sangini, he is the sweet and shy Akshay in Star One's Yeh Ishq Haaye.

Tellybuzz had a chat with the actor and came to know that he in real is completely opposite to the boy next door character.

Read on to know more about Raunaq!!!

Talk us thro' the role of Abhay in the show Sanjog Se Bani Sangini?
The role of Abhay is of the guy who is married to Pihu who is madly in love with Rudr. But consequently she too will recognize the love for Abhay and she finally falls in love with him.

How is your off screen rapport with Additi Gupta?
We have a very good off screen chemistry together and are good friends.

How is it on the sets of Sangini? Who is your best friend on sets of Sangini?
Sangini is a great set to be in and I have a great time with Binny Sharma. As she is a great dancer she always teases me on my dancing skills. I do have great fun with Adarsh and also Iqbal Khan. Iqbal  and I always have a great passionate discussion regarding various topics under the sun like education, pirated CDs et al. 

How different is the experience working for Sangini and Yeh Ishq Haaye?
Being on the sets of Sangini is like being in the family because I have known them for long including the channel and the creative team. Yeh Ishq Haaye is also a good show and the sets are also nice to be in where I get great support from the people there. They are complete professionals and I have a great professional experience on the sets, whereas Sangini gives me a lighter atmosphere to be in.  

After portraying the recent roles have you felt that you have repeated yourself?
Yes I do feel that my roles in Sangini and Yeh Ishq Haaye have similarities in their appearance which makes them look like they have similar attitude. But both the character are identical in their own way. Abhay is a complete straight forward person who does not take up anything which is crap and useless. And that's the reason he always goes against Pihu to stand for himself and his family. On the other hand, Akshay is a completely shy person by nature and does not even have the courage to go and say that he loves the girl.

Yeh Ishq Haye has not got good TRPs, how is the response?
Even though we have not been doing well on the TRP charts the response that we receive from people is really great regarding the show and performance. It is a known fact that when a show is started newly, it takes time to get the grip on to the TRPs and we cannot avoid the fact that we have replaced a show like Dill Mill Gaye and viewers are still upset about that.

There is a feedback that Yeh Ishq Haaye does not have anything new in it. What do you have to say?
I do not agree with that statement because even for Star One it is a fresh new show. There is a family oriented youth story in it and has new tracks and unpredictable instances that keep happening in the show.  

How will the story proceed in Yeh Ishq Haaye  now?
Since we are really tied up with schedule we ourselves do not know what is going to happen regarding our track. The script is received some moments before the shot and sometimes we do not get time to prepare ourselves. With the CINTAA rule being strictly followed, we have to take prior permission from the authorities to extend the schedule.

How has been the experience working with Srishty Rode and Yashdeep Nain?
Srishty is very young and Yashdeep and I have a good time on the sets. We both fight like kids on the sets.

What is your dream role?
My dream role would be doing something what Salman Khan did in Dabangg, a corrupt cop.

How do you succeed to manage two shows at a time where you have prominent roles in each?
Even though the role in Sangini is a parallel lead role, I do not have to spend much time on that show as the scenes are really small. But at the same time I am happy that whatever the role delivers in that short span of time is remembered by people. Since I need only that much time there I utilize most of my time in Yeh Ishq Haaye. I thank both the channels and the production houses for that as they permitted me to do two shows at a time.

How did you enter in the industry; was acting that you always wanted to do?
The journey had been really tough where I had a lot of bumpy roads and slogged a lot like any other new comers in the industry. But all my efforts and difficulties of nearly 8 to nine months have been rewarded now.

You have been associated with many shows in television, how did the journey begin for you?
My journey began with working for a Fox's show called Pank Ho To Ud Jaati but it was never aired because the period was hit by recession and the situation was not in favour of the show to launch. I did shows in DD too wherein I felt a difference in work culture. The wok culture in DD is very laid back wherein there is no stress that an actor has to go thro whereas in satellite channels there are time constraints and the work is more apt and serious in here as there is a lot of competition. I did shows like Keshav Pandit also wherein my shade was grey but was there only for two or three scenes which I was not happy and I had to leave that.

Was there any role that you felt was good but did not get recognized?
Luckily all my roles have been remembered by people even if it had been there only for a few episodes. Even my role in Mitwa has been recognized by people. Also I really loved my role in Do Saheliyaan - Kismat ki Kathputaliyaan, but the show did not go very well as expected.  

You have been seen in pure boy next door roles lately, how are you in real life?
In real I am exactly the opposite to what I am on screen. I am always mischievous on the sets. Because that's the only way to kill all the energy in me as I am too good in the shows and I have no physically challenging scenes to do. So I do all the naughty stuffs outside which I cannot do on screen.

Your upbringing?
My family is in Mumbai and I completed my Telecom engineering. My parents gave me all freedom to choose what I want to do in my life. The only condition laid down was that I should complete my graduation.

Did you ever regret for taking up any role till date?
I was not happy with the way my role went in the show Keshav Pandit shaped up. But at the same time I take it as a learning experience and I got a chance to be associated with Balaji also.

How has the experience been working with different channels?
The experience had been great where I learnt a lot of stuffs. I got a chance to work in DD as well as Satellite channels wherein I felt the difference in the pattern of work.

What are your plans for New Year?
I have not planned anything as of now, but think I will be shooting.
 
Reporter and Author: Saranya Valsarajan