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"I Rarely Get Offers For Any Shows Now"

There's this one line all actors use, whether they are from films or television, to describe their role in a new project. "It truly is different," they say absolutely earnestly. We nod our heads in agreement, all the while thinking, here we go again, as they get into the monumental task of describing their 'oh so different' character.

Then again, if Varun Badola gives you the 'different line', you're more likely to believe him than not. In a career spanning more than eight years, Varun has consciously chosen shows and characters that most others would shun immediately. You can call it audaciousness or plain simple gumption, but for Varun, it's just the usual way to go!

As he continues to make unusual choices, like his current show, Aek Chabhi Hai Padoss Mein, I ask him about the considerably long break he took before starting on this project. "I was off air for 10 months," he informs. Conscious decision? "I don't know, but I've never really followed the norms. It wasn't planned. Some things I was working on never materialized. Others took longer than expected to work out. I wasn't sitting at home doing nothing. I was busy shooting for Arranged Marriage, then for Aek Chabhi…We'd shot a few episodes, but were asked to make changes. That had to be re-shot. Then there was the question of finding the right time-slot for the show. All these things took time."

What happened to Arranged Marriage? "Only the channel or the production house would know. We're not shooting anymore as of now. We've shot so many episodes and I'm hoping it comes on air. I've seen a few of them and they're definitely not so bad that they can't be shown. The performances are good, but you can never predict channel policy."

Arranged Marriage may not have any takers, Aek Chabhi…thankfully does. Still, why chose a project, which is like none other on TV? "When have you seen me do the run-of-the-mill kind of show?" he retorts. "I'm aware it's different, I've always chosen different stuff."

What about the fact that a show like Astitva…began as something truly diverse, but eventually succumbed to commercial strategy? "I beg to differ on that. While doing Astitva…we were always aware of the story we were making; a love story of a man and a woman with a 10-year age gap between them. It's okay for the man to be 10 years older in Indian society. When it's the woman, tongues wag. The show did well, and we were all set to wind it up at the right time too. We'd unanimously decided against the generation leap. But some things are not in our hands, the idea to continue was that of the producers."

Surprisingly, Varun enjoyed the show the maximum, post the generation leap. "I got to explore certain angles, which I hadn't as yet in the show. I was ready to go ahead with the leap, provided I was allowed to age. I was given a free hand; I could decide my own look. In terms of performance at least, the second half of Astitva…was far more enjoyable."

Astitva…was followed by Rabba Ishq Na Hove, where Varun teamed up once more with Aroona Irani and Sangeeta Ghosh, to recreate the Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand magic. But some things are not to be, and Rabba…sank without a trace. "It didn't last long enough for me to enjoy it. 55 episodes and the show wrapped up. The news came as a shock for me; I thought it would do well. No reasons were cited for the premature end. Not that I asked for any reasons. I guess it had to be low TRPs."

Des…, Rabba…, Astitva…are all in the past now. Varun's energies are solely concentrated on Aek Chabhi…. "I love the mohalla set-up that the show has. Yahah pe bade regular se bachche hote hai. Most of them don't even fall in love. They finish their studies, and then wait for their parents to find them the right match. It's a completely different genre for me, something I haven't tried before."

Isn't it a risk? "Even if it is, it's okay. If we don't try to change the television scenario, who will? It shouldn't be that just because someone has made one type of serial, everyone should make the same. That's what happens in television generally. Ekta Kapoor started the saas-bahu trend, which was a unique idea. Nobody was doing it on Indian television then. Then, she followed it up with another show. That was fine, because nothing succeeds like success. But then everyone felt that's the only thing working, so they all decided to follow her example and make the same kind of shows. What was the need to do that? Think about it — today, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki are the only two shows, still going on and successful. Whatever came after that has all gone off air."

He continues on the same, "It's not like I have an aversion to the saas-bahu genre; it's just that I don't relate to it. Maybe if I was doing Kyunki…today, and was playing an 80-year-old, I would have got a wig made and aged myself. That's the way I am; I think it's important to work on the physicality of the character. Television is supposed to reflect reality, and I'm sorry, but I've yet to see an 80-year-old who doesn't have a single wrinkle. It's taking divinity to another level. We're crossing all limits nowadays."

But isn't that termed as cinematic liberty? "Oh please, you can't take cinematic liberty with the script, screenplay and performances too. You can't make your show work on just liberties."

Does he get offers for conventional soaps? "Well, once upon a time, people would call. Today, even they've understood there's no point calling me, I'm never going to do that kind of role. Frankly, I rarely get offers for any shows now. Maybe I'm falling out of favour, or perhaps it's because I'm not seen much on television. Some even feel I've moved to writing and direction completely. I like to put it this way — 33 per cent know if it's a typical show, I won't say yes. 33 per cent feel since I'm not working much nowadays, I've moved to writing, as for the rest 33-34 per cent, they can't work with me," he laughs.

Coming back to Aek Chabhi, how involved is he in the show, besides the acting part? "I'm the script supervisor there. Officially, all the scripts must come to me. But that's not always possible; it gets too tedious. So I write one story a month, after discussing with the directors. The others, I go through, if major changes are required. As for direction, it's a full-time job. I can write and I can act. I can't write, act and direct. That's like killing myself. And with Siddharth Sengupta around, I don't need to look at the direction aspect at all. He's one of the best directors I've seen on television. I have nothing to do with the production part, that's just not my business."

The acting bit is all the more special since he gets to share screen space with his father too. "It's the first time we're acting together. But there's nothing special to say. We go to the sets together, he goes to his room, and I go to mine. I have my writing work to keep me busy and he prefers spending time with his same-aged peers. Initially, he tried to give me company, but it didn't work out. This arrangement suits us fine."

What about looking at other work? Or is it going to be just this show for now? "Television is the only thing, which has helped me survive. All through my career, my pattern has been different. I've never been able to do two shows at a time. Invariably, when one show wraps, another starts."

I remind him about the seemingly impossible days, when he juggled, Astitva…, Rabba…and Nach Baliye. "That was the most difficult period of my life," he states. "I was doing two dailies and Nach…of course. It even affected me psychologically. Physically I could manage, even with two-three hours sleep. Mentally, I was drained, burnt out. When your brain isn't getting enough rest, then your body is really good for nothing. I tried to keep myself in my senses as long as I could. Finally when I blanked out in the semi-finals of Nach…I knew I had crossed all limits. The last two rounds of the show, I was on a complete overdrive. That's why I think I'll stick to doing one show at a time. It's the smart option."

Moving to films would be a smart choice too, considering he's pretty much achieved it all in television. "It's not about moving to movies; it's about getting work there," says Varun. "I don't meet enough people, I don't have many interactions. I'm not a very social person. After Nach…I'd established a rapport with Farhan (Akhtar). But since then, I must have hardly messaged him twice casually. I'm just not cut out that way. I'd like to pitch myself, but I really don't know how I'm going to do it."

Maybe the socializing could get a little easier if he didn't seem so aloof. "I think the aloof image suits me. But I'm not that bad, if someone calls me for a quote or an interview, I don't say no. I don't know, maybe other actors make more sense or their interviews make for more saleable copy than mine," he laughingly admits.

He'd also mentioned somewhere that 2006 wasn't a good year for him. "It wasn't bad, but it wasn't eventful as such. Though I must mention, I bought two houses in 2006, broke them down to make one big house and renovated it as well. So the year did start on a good note. The unfortunate part was Arranged Marriage (with wife Rajeshwari) not coming on air, Aek Chabhi… having its initial teething problems. Thankfully, I didn't have enough time to sit and brood over the matter. Otherwise, the scenario could have been much worse." We're glad you didn't choose to brood Varun, because 2007 already looks a lot brighter!