Sujal has dreams of entering Bollywood

He likes to project himself as a mama's boy behind the scenes. But parde ke saamne, debonair actor Gurpreet Singh dons the garb of an ambitious handsome hunk Sujal Garewal in Kahiin To Hoga. The desired man of the moment, this actor knows how to make damsels go weak in their knees, says PRAMITA BOSE.

Did you have any apprehensions before signing up for Sujal's role in Kahiin To Hoga, which was already so popular with the viewers?
Well, I had no idea whatsoever about Sujal's character and the craze surrounding it, let alone any misgivings over portraying it onscreen. It was only after I got a tip-off from one of my friends co-ordinating with the Balaji camp, that I came to know about the daily soap and its famous protagonist. On my way back home, I chatted with my friends about Sujal Garewal's role, then played by Rajiv Khandelwal and later on, even asked my mom who's a regular viewer of the show. I found out that the character was some kind of a rage on the tube and that his onscreen chemistry with the female lead really hit the bull's eye.

So, what prompted you to finally give a nod for the serial?
Frankly speaking, I was never ever inclined to make inroads into the television industry. In fact, I was pretty content with my modelling assignments in Mumbai, after finishing my graduation from Delhi University. But incidentally, I was called for the auditions of another TRP booster from the Balaji stable — Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and was shortlisted for the lead role, Angad (now played by Iqbal Khan). However, the character of Sujal fell in my kitty and going by its potential, I could not help but okay the proposal.

Do you get perturbed when people start comparing you with Rajiv Khandelwal, the former Sujal?
After Rajiv walked out of the show, the producers started looking for a replacement, and that's where my voice and looks helped win this role. During the trial shoot, my voice sounded similar to Sujal's and that was the major plus point for me to fit the bill perfectly as an ideal substitute. Even the audience pointed out that uncanny resemblance did the trick. But at the outset of my debut vehicle, I was told to play my natural self and not to slip into anybody's shoes and copy him consciously.

Hailing from a theatre background, do you feel stage acting has given you an extra edge?
Yes, definitely. Back home in Delhi, I freelanced with the widely recognised theatre group, Asmita. I also got the opportunity to interact with reputed artistes like Piyush Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal of Maqbool fame. Having witnessed such remarkable actors' performance from proximity, I learnt a great deal.

You are also on the verge of entering Bollywood. What are the films up your sleeve?
I'm playing the lead role in director Shivram Yadav's Madhubala where coincidentally, my girlfriend Kanishka is cast opposite me to lend a romantic angle. And it was after completing the shoots of this film that we both became close to each other and from there, our relatioship began.