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'I'M A TENSION-FREE AADMI'
Vikas Sethi tells Roshni Olivera that he likes to be among cheerful people and not cribbers
What was it like to be doing back-to-back shows (Kahin to Hoga and K Street Pali Hill) on TV?
• Having a one hour slot is great advantage. If you miss me in the first half-an-hour, I'll hit you right back with my face again in another half-an-hour!
So, which character do you prefer: Swayam of K Street or Dron of Kahin To Hoga?
• Swayam, because he has so many shades to him. There have been so many ups and downs in his life. There's a grey shade to him; he's a nice guy who was doing everything for his mother. Dron on the other hand is a normal sweet guy, an ideal son who listens to his parents.
Do you prefer negative roles?
• I prefer roles with grey shades. A grey shade can change and become positive and people like it. But if a goodie-goodie guy changes into a bad character, the audiences don't like it. That's because they can't accept this change in the character. They are so used to him being the good guy. Isn't it a fact that if you have 10 good people in a room and one odd guy, people want to see the odd one? Performance-wise too it's more challenging.
Is K Street going off air?.
• I've heard so, but there's no confirmed news, so I won't be able to comment on that.
You aren't in Kahin to Hoga too at the moment?
• Yes, not for a while. The track has changed a bit. But I'll come back later. I'm not dead in the show.
What do you have to say about TV shows going on and on endlessly?
• Abroad there are shows which are running for about 10 years. It's all up to the audiences, what they want to see and what they don't. There are shows that have gone off air in four to five months, because, I assume, audiences weren't happy with them.
Is TV one step lower than films as some feel?
• Times have changed. Television has changed. Earlier, people felt that working on TV was not as satisfying as in films, but that's not the case anymore. People are making a fortune out of it. TV here is becoming as big as it is in the US.
Do you regret doing a film like Oops?
• Nothing like that. I tried my level best as far performance in the movie was concerned. People probably weren't ready for that kind of a subject. But I have no regrets. People appreciated my performance and that was good for me.
You haven't done any movie after that...
• I got offers after that, but they were not up to the mark. I didn't want to just sign movies, make a quick buck and move away. What's the point? In my heart I know I made a conscious decision not to do films that I didn't want to. As far as films are concerned, today if a I get an interesting role, I'd certainly take it up.
Are you a Mumbai boy?
• I was born in Chandigarh and my dad was in government service, so we kept shifting from one place to the other. We came to Mumbai in 1994.
How did acting happen to you?
• Acting happened by default. Once I was just moving around with my friends when somebody came up to me and asked if I'd want to model. And I said, 'Do I look like a model?' That assignment came about in no time and I was paid Rs 20,000. That's how it started. After that I did quite a few ads. Later I did the TV show Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr. I loved that show because I had a chance to play positive, negative and comedy. And then Oops happened.
After which you returned to TV...
• I never quit TV to return. I was shooting for both.
What's on the personal front?
• I got married in 2001. My wife Amita is an airhostess. Its' a normal love story with no twists and turns! We started as friends, then we started dating. I liked her, she liked me, we dated for a while and then got married.
What's the real Vikas Sethi like?
• Very happy-go-lucky. I don't take too much tension. I like to be among cheerful people who don't crib. I'd say, be thankful to God for whatever you are, strive for more, but don't crib. I'm a tension-free aadmi.
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