INTERVIEW

(Ayaz Ahmed )

Are you concerned about comparisons with Vivian Dsena, who is the lead in another serial by the same production house?
I am not here to compete, but to do my job. I love acting and am satisfied with my work as I get to try my hand at action and romance, something that I haven't explored before. The best part is that I get to show my eight years of training in taekwondo and karate on screen.

Do you have B'wood aspirations?
Well, not till the show is on. I am committed to the show and am not even considering it. Films are larger than life, and so is this show. I am happy with what I've got. We had a 30-day sequence in Kashmir. The way we are shooting €" camera work, location, techniques is almost on a par with films.

Did you undergo any training for this role?
Since I was lean, I started working out and developed some muscle for the role. I also worked on my look and grew a beard as the character of Raghu required me to appear rugged. We also did our own performance designing. Since Nikita and I haven't done romantic roles before, we also underwent a three-day workshop. But to tell you the truth, romancing on screen is like comedy.

How is your chemistry with Nikita on and off the sets?
On screen, our pair is being appreciated and the chemistry is evident. Off screen I pity her as there are many pranksters on the sets who pull her leg and bully her.

Tell us about your Kolkata background.
I was born and brought up in Howrah and stayed there for 20 years. I did my schooling from St Thomas Church School, where I was encouraged to participate in all cocurricular activities, which is helping me till date. Then, I was pursuing law from CU right after school as my father, an advocate, wanted me to follow his footsteps. I was simultaneously working as a radio jockey before Roadies happened and I moved to Mumbai. Art and literature were always in my blood as my grandfather Haji Hafiz Karamatur Rahman was quite a well-known Urdu poet and so is my Abbu. I get motivated and inspired from their poetry. Though I didn't fulfil Abbu's dream of becoming a lawyer, now he is a proud father of an actor son. Ami banglaboltepari, bhujhteupari, kintubeshiporishkaarna.

Did you have to struggle a lot to reach where you are?
The word struggle is used extensively in our industry. It sounds quite filmy and larger than life, but the truth is that this struggle exist in all fields. I would rather call it hard work, patience or persistence. to follow your dreams. Obviously the journey is a little more difficult as compared to other professional fields since the stakes are also high. I never used terms such as struggling or struggler for myself. I have always considered myself a dreamer