~@ THE FEARLESS AND VIGOROUS INSPECTOR ABHIGYAN @~ - Page 62

MEET THE MODERN RAMA

Actor Piyush Sahdev, the new entry in Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev, is shedding kilos for his six-pack ab avatar. He spoke to Karan Bhardwaj

With times, things have changed. So has the portrayal of deities on small screen. Mohit Raina revolutionised the way Indian Gods were presented on television with his six-pack abs avatar of Mahadev in Life Ok's Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev.

Now the mythological drama plans to present another deity on the similar lines. Actor Piyush Sahdev, who will be playing Lord Rama in the show, has already lost 5 kgs for his "perfect" look.

The channel has asked him to lose more and the actor is determined to build six-pack abs to play a perfect Rama.

"When you look up to role models, you assume them to be fit. For me, Lord Rama must have been in a perfect shape," said the 30-year-old actor, who has just quit Shapath on the same channel.

He says that people are fitness freaks and it is important to present Gods with good physiques. "Look how Farhan Akhtar shaped himself for the role of Milkha Singh. Though the athlete was never that fit as Farhan looks in the movie, he did it to leave an impression. Logon ka taste badal gaya hain yaar…! (People have changed their preferences)," he said.

Sahdev takes out time for workout despite long shooting hours.

"I admire Hrithik Roshan. I was also inspired by Gurmeet Chaudhary. He has a fab body. Now if I don't exercise for a day, I feel like a dead body," said the actor. Why did he quit Shapath? "I was working continuously for two years. I was craving for a break and informed the production house and channel. I went to Switzerland and Paris. They agreed to relieve me and when I came back, channel offered meMahadev. I will be doing Mahadev for next six months," he told us.

The actor has a filmy background. His brother Girish Sahdev and sister Meher Vij are also well-known actors. But he never wanted to become an actor. He was a shy person and had no social life.

"Circumstances forced me to get into acting. I started doing theatre. I did it for five years. I never took support from my siblings. My family was not financially stable and there were times when I wouldn't have money to travel in a bus," he shared. Sahdev faced early rejections too. Once he visited a director's office where he also spotted Ashutosh Rana. However, the director showed him the doors saying, "Why the hell you are coming again and again."

He proudly shares that Rana met him at the sets of Shapath and appreciated his performance in one of his previous shows. "Such is life," he remarked. Sahdev is a trained dancer too. He has learnt Bharatanatyam and Salsa.

"I was in a bad shape when I began. But I prepared myself to adapt to the over-competitive industry," he concluded.