New face of talent

New face of talent

Chaya Unnikrishnan
Posted online: Friday, August 11, 2006 at 0000 hours IST

This Delhi-based MBA was making documentaries for ministries when he landed in Mumbai to shoot. That's when he decided he wanted to be under the arclights. After taking formal training in acting, Pawan Shankar landed his first serial Siddhant. What's more, his debut venture has not only been nominated from India but it has now entered into the final round of EMMYS... It isn't easy to pin down Siddhant aka Pawan Shankar for a chat. The actor is busy shooting for one daily soap Aisa Des Hai Mera aired on Sony and the forthcoming bi-weekly Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan on STAR Plus. Also, with Siddhant being selected as the only Indian entry for the EMMYs, Pawan's phone hasn't stopped ringing. "When you don't expect anything and you get so much, it's very difficult to digest. I can't find words to describe my happiness," gushes the actor who is overwhelmed with all the attention. The recognition has also raised hopes of Siddhant making a comeback with a new season. To think that when Pawan was selected for the title role, there was apprehension all around. The channel, STAR and a few top officials of BAG Films which produced the serial had doubts about his ability to pull off a strong, mature role since he was a newcomer. "It was Anuradha Prasad (MD, BAG Films) who stuck to her decision of casting me as Siddhant. I remember after the first episode was aired, the channel guys agreed that she had made the right choice," reminisces Pawan. Even the first day of his shoot was quite a production. Two EPs from STAR kept asking him whether he was nervous since they were feeling a little jittery themselves. But Pawan had none of the jitters. "The producer had made me extremely confident," he recalls. Consequently, the first shot he gave was the best. "I think it was a brilliant take," says Pawan at the risk of sounding immodest. The inaugural episode of Siddhant had Pawan playing a negative role. A girl Deepa Sarkar (Kirti Gaekwad) had been raped and instead of defending the victim and convicting the criminals, Siddhant was fighting the case for the rapists. "I had to indirectly convey to the jailed rapists that whatever happened he would see to it that they were acquitted," informs the actor, whose character initially fought for the rich. His first case is a success but after a series of incidents Siddhant changes tracks and becomes a saviour of the poor. The next serial Pawan did was Aisa Des Hai Mera where he played Ajit, the protagonist Rusty's love interest. He started out as a romantic, fun-loving guy but along the way he has transformed into a weak, spineless character. Tell that to Pawan and he shrugs helplessly, adding that currently he's stopped shooting for the Lekh Tandon-written and directed soap as he is busy with Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasman. "It was the idea of working with the renowned director Lekh Tandon, about whom I had heard a lot and whose story Aisa Des Hai Mera was, that I signed the serial. However, since its inception, the original story has undergone many changes following feedback and TRPs," says Pawan and refuses to talk more about it.

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However, he's more than eager to discuss his role in Thodi Si... which he feels is as good as Siddhant. He plays Uma (Smriti Irani)'s brother Sanjay Apte, a union leader who lives with his family in a chawl. "Sanjay is as strong and powerful as Siddhant," informs Pawan. Pawan claims that the story of Thodi ... is very real with real characters and situations. "When I went on the sets the first day I knew who was playing which role just by looking at the actors. I had read the script and that was enough for me to identify the artistes with the characters," says the good-looking actor who is looking forward to the serial going on air. Sanjay Apte is close to his heart and he identifies with it completely. "Like Sanjay, I have gone through the leadership phase in my college days and there was a lot of anger in me then," he states. Sanjay is the kind of guy who cannot stand injustice and any wrong being done to a person. He's so fiery and righteous that he often picks fights with his dad whose ideologies differ from his. "My father, played by Achyut Poddar, follows the Gandhian principles and I believe in calling a spade a spade. I am a man with a tiger inside me," he says spiritedly. Thodi Si... marks Pawan's entry into the Balaji camp and the actor is extremely happy with the move. "Ekta has always liked me and I had several offers from Balaji but nothing worked out earlier because I was busy with Siddhant," he reasons adding that Thodi Si... will be "one of the finest shows on TV". This MBA-turned-actor wants to take it easy as far as films go "because I want to make money first and there's lot of it on television". Pawan has his priorities right. After all, he's not a MBA in Finance for nothing!