'Television is not the last boundary for me' - Annirudh Dave

Annirudh Dave, the 20 year old lad from Jaipur is passionate about acting and since his early childhood has been actively involved in theater and dramatics. When he was offered a lead in Raajkumar Aaryyan on NDTV Imagine, it was a dream come true for him.

Tell us something about your role?

Raajkumar Aaryyan is a young prince. The story is about his struggle to save his country by getting 'sathvi aakh'. If he gets that then he will be powerful. Also Bhujang is trying to get the sathvi aakh. Basically the battle that ensues is to prove oneself more powerful than the other. I personally think my role is a complete package as it has romance, action, battle sequences and a lot more to it.

What attracted you to the role of Raajkumar Aaryyan?

I have been associated with theatre from the very beginning. Nowadays saas- bahu sagas are seen on every channel and I wanted to do something different, hence I opted to take up the role of Raakumar Aaryyan. In fact I was first supposed to play the role of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, but this role was proposed to me and I took it up immediately.

What sequence are you shooting today?

Today there is a fight sequence, where I have to kill Bhujang i.e. Nirmal Pandey , but the twist is that he is not actually Bhujang, he is Hussenbaba .Finally, I will grab the green powder as Bhairavi is hypnotized and about to die, but with this act I will save her.

This role demands a lot of stunts. Any prior preparation?

Horse riding, usage of cable wires, jumping, sword fighting, the show is full of all these stunts. About preparation, I can say that if you see my shots keenly, I would say such shots have never been seen on television and to keep my self fit for the role, whenever I get time, I go to Juhu to learn Martial Arts from my sir. For instance, today I got up at 5.30 in the morning to work out.

How is the chemistry with all the actors on the sets?

I think it's wonderful and I truly feel I am grateful that I am working with senior actors like Nirmal Pandey and many others. In totality, I would say I am learning a lot from them.

Which other projects were you offered before playing Raajkumar Aaryan?

Satish Kaushik had called me to assist him in the making of Karzz- the remake actually. But, I had already signed for Raajkumar Aaryyan. I planned to assist basically because it is a good career move as I know that television is not the last boundary for me.

So any plans to get into Bollywood?

I am playing a parallel lead in the movie 'Tere Sang' by Satish Kaushikji, which will release soon. It's a movie which is a bit kiddish.

Reporter and Author: Binita Ramchandani