The television world has gotten a brand new eye candy in the form of Harshad Arora, who plays the dude with the sly smile, Zain Abdullah in Beintehaa. Since it's been a little more than a week since Harshad hit our TV screens, we caught up with the actor for a quick chat.
Q: So, it's been a week since Beintehaa started, how does it feel?
Harshad: It feels great, the show has been very well received. I get a 100 messages on Twitter everyday from fans, so I guess the fan following is increasing, and people are liking the show. It's too early to predict the future of the show, we'll know better in a month, but the reviews are very encouraging.
Q: Before talking about your experience, tell us why you chose the role of Zain in Beintehaa?
Harshad: Honestly, when I was a teenager, I never knew what to do with my life, like most people my age. I got modelling offers in college and so I continued doing it for 3 years. I also completed my higher studies in Marketing and PR and was working in a PR agency for a good one and a half years. When I started getting offers from TV, I decided to pursue them.
What attracted me to Zain was that I instantly knew that people would love this character, and he would also be a challenge to play at the same time. There aren't many Muslim family centric shows on TV, so that was also a USP. The concept, story, channel and the fact that it's a prime time show left no room for doubt about accepting the role.
Q: Your entry scene was very unique, and the first week saw you shoot a car race too. Did these scenes give you an adrenaline rush?
Harshad: I give my 100% to everything that I do, so I insisted on doing these scenes myself without a double. The extra effort that you put into the scene can be seen in the show, plus it helps you get into the character. Those scenes have come out very well, so I'm happy.
Q: Which have been your personal favourite scenes from Beintehaa?
Harshad: The chopper shot is definitely a favourite, and I loved the jeep racing scene too. Apart from these, the cruise party scenes were also memorable, as we were shooting in the middle of the night in the cold weather. Umm...the scene in front of the masjid also is another favourite. Actually, all the scenes that were shot in Bhopal were very good as they have shown Bhopal beautifully.
Q: What is your take on your co-actors? How is the off-screen bonding?
Harshad: The cast is great to work with, and we have some very fine actors working on the show. We have all bonded very well in the first few days of shoot. My chemistry with Navedji (Osman) is very good and the bond of being friends more than father and son is coming across very well. I have also gelled very well with the rest of the cast, be it Aliya's mom and dad, or my brother and sisters-in-law. It's nice to have good actors around while working.
Q: And what about Preethika (Aliya)? How is the off-screen chemistry with your female lead?
Harshad: We're friends off-screen and both of us are very professional actors. So when we get a scene together, we sit and discuss it, and of course our director gives his expert opinion, so it's very difficult to go wrong. We sit and talk about things other than the show, but just because both of us are young doesn't mean there should be more than friendship between us. I'm just glad that our on-screen chemistry is being appreciated by the audience.
Q: What are your expectations from Beintehaa?
Harshad: Right now I'm going with the flow, giving a 100% to the role. People are loving Zain and Aliya, which is a good thing. I'm taking each day as it comes and hoping that the show and characters get more popular as the show progresses.
Gautam Hegde @mrhegde
