I waited because I was not in a hurry’

His journey and rise to fame in television-world is as interesting as the plot of a daily soap with myriad twists and turns. Running away from home to make a career in acting is not a stray happening in showbiz. There have been many such cases in the past but there have been very few successful stories out of run-away cases. Manish Goyal is one of the few such successful examples. He started as a spot boy on the sets of a sitcom, did music videos, cameo roles in serials and then all of a sudden graduated to bigger roles, thanks to the boom in daily soaps.

Struggling for bigger and better roles, his first step towards instant name and fame was Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. It lead to better roles in prime time shows like Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Bhabhi and Sara Akash. Next followed a long break from television. After an eight-month sabbatical Manish has finally made a comeback to prime time television in a daringly different role in Betiyaan Apna Ya Paraya Dhan, which he describes as his second innings on TV. His first innings went in establishing himself as an actor on television.

"It made me popular by the names of the characters I played, particularly Tilka of Bhabhi. Now I want to establish my identity as Manish Goyal and not Vedant of Betiyaan," he says confidently. Whether he succeeds or not is yet to be seen but Nach Baliye where he lost to Sachin and Supriya in the finals made him popular as Manish Goyal. "Though I was doing Bhabhi then people almost forgot Tilak. Nach Baliye gave me my own identity and standing as an actor and dancer," recalls Manish who took break from TV a few days after Nach Baliye went off air.

"I did 15 episodes of Bhabhi because that was my commitment to the show. After that I didn't want to play grandfather in the show's generational leap. It was too early for me to play an older character when I am getting roles of my age." And he did get several offers, all for lead roles. "I was offered Pyaar Ke Do Naam, Viraasat and many more. Ekta had offered me a new entry in Kasauti. But I didn't like the roles. I also didn't want to do two shows at a time. What I was really looking for was one good role in a good show. I waited because I was not in a hurry. Nothing sounded right till I was offered a role in Betiyaan. I heard the role but it didn't sound exciting. I had my questions and doubts but the channel and producer assured me that it would give me a complete change of image on TV," says the actor.

During the last four months he had worked on his look and physique and got himself a different hairstyle. And he is using his new look in his comeback show. "Vedant is a kind of roadside tapori who was born and brought up on the streets. He believes in creating his own destiny. He is not ill-mannered but stubborn and arrogant. The character has lot of shades but Vedant is a lovable guy who falls in love with Veera, the second oldest daughter among six sisters," elaborates Manish who did wonder about the character's importance and length in a story of a family with six daughters and one son.

"But when I started shooting I realized that Vedant is a very important character. I have one scene in each episode, to begin with. But that one scene is very crucial for giving momentum to the episode and the story." His eight-month-break was the best period of his life in Mumbai "I spent a lot of time with my son and wife Poonam which was wonderful," he says.

http://www.deccan.com/TV%20Guide/TV%20GuideDescription.asp#' I%20felt%20that%20we%20were%20rather%20underscored%20on%20th e%20show'