Udaariyaan actor Raman Dhagga says trends on TV depend on TRP.

 Raman Dhagga plays the role of Rupi Sandhu in Dreamiyata Production’s Udaariyaan. The production house belongs to actor couple Ravie Dubey and Sargun Mehta. Raman shares his onscreen character is much like who he is in real life.

 “I am the same kind of father in real life as Rupi Sandhu (character name) too which is why I related so much with this character. My reel daughters Tejo and Jasmine are just like my daughters, and the way the concept is moving and growing I feel this is very real and pure. It feels like I am living my real life and not reel,” he says.

 Raman’s character is getting a very good response. “Viewers are liking it, and the comments and reviews on my social media makes me feel special. The compliments I get for being a father and the father-daughter relationship on screen also feels special. I also get a lot of messages from the viewers as to when I will be coming on the show,” he adds.

 About collaboration with Dreamiyata and Ravie and Sargun, the actor praises the team. “Working with Dreamiyata is very amazing and special. Ravie and Sargun are great producers. They don’t make us feel at home, and are very friendly with everyone on the set. I share my things with them about my character and other things too. They listen to me and also advise me for the same. Till date we haven’t faced any kind of problem on the set which shows we are having such a good experience with Dreamiyata. I would love to work with them again,” he says.

Raman is enjoying the show in Chandigarh. “It’s been one year and six months of shooting Udaariyan here and the feeling has been wonderful. I am from Ludhiana, Punjab. But, for the past five years I’ve been living in Mohali, Chandigarh. My family is in Ludhiana and I am in Chandigarh. It’s obvious that I miss them. But at the same time our Dreamiyata team makes me feel at ease and with all the love coming our way, it makes me feel proud,” he adds.

Udaariyaan has a youthful flavour to it. The show highlights a lot about the people of North India, especially Punjabis, and their likes and dislikes.

“Every person in Punjab thinks of going to Canada. The story and issues keep on changing but the concept of sending kids to Canada is very real. Maybe this is why people are loving this show and relating to the concept. Most Bollywood movies now add a Punjabi flavour to it because the culture and people are loved by everyone. We also get messages from Bangladesh, Nepal, Kazakhstan about how much they love our show,” he shares.

Going by the industry trends, the small screen is mostly driven by female protagonists and the female audience is also more in percentage. “So, if stories are not female centric, it won’t work. Showing how a female protagonist dealing with everything at home and even outside therefore becomes relatable. Even Tejo’s character in Udaariyaan is shown as a very strong and hardworking woman who takes stand for herself. The trend basically depends on the TRP and the two basics are female-fronted concept and story having a social message,” he adds.

Everyone has an actor in them, it's just that you need to bring that out, says Raman. Speaking on his passion for the art form and the inspiration behind it, he shares, “When I used to see movies earlier, I always wanted to get featured on the big screen. I’ve struggled a lot. In 1996 I started doing theatres. I wanted to be like Dharmendra ji, Amrish Puri ji. They have inspired me a lot. After my stint on stage for 8-9 years, I worked as an assistant director. Now, since the last four years I’ve been working as an actor. You can be inspired from anyone and anywhere and any step of your life. Acting has been my passion since the beginning; I never wanted to do it for the sake of earning money. It was for the love of the art and being able to entertain as well as getting recognised by people. Today I am 44 and have achieved what I’ve dreamt of.”

After a shooting for 16-17 hours in a day, Raman prefers going back home and relaxing. “I don’t like to go to an overcrowded place. Sometimes I go for outings or meet friends if possible but that happens rarely. My hobby is to write and I write scripts too. I also like trying new dishes and cuisines and staying updated with the ongoing news,” he ends.