Simply Divine!- Mohit Raina interview on Cine Bliz

For some strange reason, the shrines of Lord Shiva always end up being in some faraway place; you have to hike and trek and go through some level of hardship before you can reach Him. Even if He is known as Bhola - gullible - He makes sure you earn your due!

Meeting the hunk of Indian television, who is currently making headlines with his role as the hot-God Mahadev, was a little like that.

Firstly, trying to meet an actor who shoots from nine in the morning till nine in the night, because he has not one but three roles to play, is in itself a mountainous, if not impossible task. So I decided to catch Mohit Raina on the shooting floor; surely he would have a small part of an hour to spare.

Secondly, just like the numerous abodes of the powerful deity he plays, the sets are located away from the city in some far-flung place, where the usual means of public transport don't venture. Hitchhiking and squeezing into share-a-ricks, those big ones that you only find in rural areas, I reached the location, flanked by low hills. The dry, dusty and unpopulated place seemed the perfect setting for a mythological show.

As he stood up to greet me in his vanity, I realised why Mohit is so popular ' tall, dark and handsome, clichd, but it sure sums him up. He has a deep enticing voice, but he is a soft-spoken guy, not something that you would expect from one who plays an easily angered God. As the interview progressed I realised how simply human he is.

My first question is the most obvious' how does it feel to play God?

"I've got used to it now," he says instantly, like he was already expecting it. "Personally, I don't feel anything like God. I'm just the same. I'm a normal human being. But people are forcing me into it, and I guess then for their happiness I'm willing to continue portraying myself as a God. But when I meet people I realise how much faith they have in me. They will say, 'Can we just see you for like, two seconds?' They say I make their day. That feels nice."

The Indian entertainment industry has always been ruled by, or been partial to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations or Lord Ganesha and his tactics. Suddenly the public has a new God to love. Mahadev has always been worshipped as the powerful one, but was never popular on screen. Mohit has sure managed to change that, and across demographics too...

"I personally think that Shiva is the Supreme Creator. His calendar image is found in most Indian households. But I guess it was never showcased on such a scale; more importantly, his personal life was never showcased. People really wanted to know more about that - about how a God would live, what are His needs, His wants, and how He is personally ' not just His equation with His devotees. Like no one knew that He even had a daughter, or the basic reason why He chopped off Ganesha's head. All these minute details are getting people really interested.

"Also, right now this is the phase where Shiva is not exactly treated as a God. For the young generation He is hot, kind of sexy; that image of a typical God has changed a little bit. This is a generation that won't really go to a Shiv temple on Mondays but they will have a Shiva tattoo and sport rudraaksh beads. It's that phase where people are really relating to Him in their own way, which is not necessarily religious. It's all also related to the Shiva Trilogy books, and the series."

Originally posted by: SindhuDKDM

It is raining with news of Mohit Raina. Wow what a a day. 😊