| Star of the week: By A. L. Chougule |
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"Post-Jassi there were several offers," says the actor who is quite a shy and private person who prefers to remain away from the spotlight when he is not working. "I badly needed a change and a complete break from work to recharge myself. I also wanted to spend time with my wife." Among the several offers that came his way Apoorva accepted Kaajjal, a fairy tale love story of a small hill town girl that starts from Mussourie and later moves to Mumbai where he plays the debonair scion of a business family. "Dev Pratap Singh is the owner of a leisure resort who has proved his worth at a very young age. But he has a past that has made him bitter, arrogant, a recluse, unapproachable and unsocial. And his every encounter with Kaajjal only reinforces the point," says Apoorva, adding that the story starts with hatred between the two characters who decide never to cross each other's path. But then a fairly tale never comes without an unexpected twist as Kaajjal, a radio jockey, moves to Mumbai for bigger name and fame. "When you get bruised in love you start hating love," he adds. "But life is never constant. Circumstances change a person completely." "Basically all stories are same," he continues. "It's the way you treat and present it that makes all the difference." The major reason why he chose to do Kaajjal is that his debut show that came on Sony was a huge success. "The channel was lucky for me and I think it will be the same the second time as well," hopes Apoorva who is always looking for excitement at work. "I am still learning the art and craft of acting. I don't think I can call myself an actor in real term of the word. Most of us are students. The real actors are Pankaj Kapur, Naseer, Paresh, Om…" Talking about his search for excitement in acting he says the evil excites him a lot. "There is logic in his anger and revenge," he reasons. Son of the late Gyandev Agnihotri, a story and screenplay writer of several hit films like Yarana, Beta, Do Aur Do Paanch and others, Apoorva wanted to become a pilot. He had cleared his papers but had to give up flying because of his father's untimely death. "The aviation industry was going through recession and there were no jobs," he remembers. "So acting became my second option." He debuted on the big screen in Pardes but post-Pardes he acted in a couple of box-office disasters. With that his dream of becoming a Bollywood star crashed. He soon turned to television and says, "I opted for TV out of choice. It was an amazing experience," he remembers his Jassi days. "I also enjoyed doing Nach Baliye." He worked with his wife Shilpa Saklani in Jassi towards the fag end of the series. "It was a good experience working with her," he concludes http://www.deccan.com/TV%20Guide/TV%20GuideDescription.asp#H e's%20back%20after%20a%20short%20break |
