The new Ayushmaan

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OodlesDoodles

@OodlesDoodles

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Posted: 21 years ago

shaheen@mid-day.com

NEW FACE: Sudeep Sahir

Sudeep SAHIR has replaced Vinod Singh as the new face of Ayushmaan (Sony).

Model-tuned-actor Sahir had been initially considered for the role. "I was approached by the producers (Cinevistaas) for a serial. But I was unaware what exactly the show was about.

Moreover, at that time I did not want to do television," he says.

"Most of the stuff on the small screen is female-oriented, so I preferred to stick to modelling." With Ayushmaan, which he describes "as a male protagonist backed show," he does not mind doing television.

Ayushmaan, inspired by the internationally-acclaimed series Doogie Howser MD, is about a teen wonder doc. Sahir is 24 and much taller than his predecessor Singh. "Yes, I am taller," he admits. As preparation for the role he sat and read the scripts of the first 12 episodes.

"I had not seen much of the show, so instead of watching it I thought it would be better to read the script to understand the character." As it is a daily, Sahir does not have now time left to pursue other commitments at the moment. "We are shooting every day as it is a daily."

Incidentally, Singh had been sacked from the soap last week after he bashed up a painter of the neighbouring set during a shoot. He alleges that he was forced to resort to this behaviour after the painter deliberately brushed past co-star Tani (Neha Mehta).

shaheen@mid-day.com

Who is Sudeep Sahir?

• Played Addy in Kyun Hota Hai Pyarr (Star Plus)

• Appears as the bridegroom in the De Beers Heera hai tu ad besides in the Motorola prepaid ads

• Features in Kunal Ganjawala's music video Channa Vey and in Saregama HMV's Odhni

• Flew with Jet Airways for one-and-a-half years

• Began modelling in Delhi and later shifted to Mumbai

Doogie Howser MD

The original Doogie Howser MD is a 16-year-old doc who once delivered a baby in a shopping mall.

Helping him in being a boy genius and a regular kid are his father (also a doctor) and mother besides a fellow resident.

Keeping him in touch with the teen world are his two friend with one of them as the object of Doogie's desires.