~*Harsh/Prem Appreciation Thread*~C Pg 38 - Page 8

I t's nice to be young. And even better to be that on TV They are all over the small screen, . thanks to the production houses churning out serials by the day! And here comes the jodi of Harshad Chopra and Additi Gupta, the lead pair from 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil', the latest from the Balaji Telefilms stable, which went on air some ten days back on Star Plus replacing Kasauti Zindagi Kay.

The duo was here on Friday to promote their serial - which is a young love story against a Punjabi backdrop with family relationships and values forming the foundation. Kal ka kalakaar Harshad Chopra is a familiar face right since SAB TV's 'Left Right Left' that saw him play a meek cadet Ali Beg. Travelling with starry dreams since childhood, says Harshad, "hailing from a small town near Nagpur, I never thought I could realise my dream. It was when I moved to Pune to pursue my engineering that I thought that that was the chance I could make the most of. I moved to Mumbai, auditioned for a second lead in the serial 'Mamta', went on to participate in Grasim Mr India-2006 but could not win the title and felt disheartened. And then I went to DJ's Creative office where I auditioned and finally bagged Ali's role in Left Right Left, a character quite like me".

His next break came in 'AmberDhara' and now 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil'. And he's gleeful over it: "Being a part of Balaji serial feels great for it operates with elaborate planning and a very big scale. My character in the serial is of an ideal human being, something I've not done earlier," says this fan of Salman Khan and is rather excited about his character's name - Prem - after Salman's Sooraj Barjatya roles! With no formal training in acting, Harshad feels it is important to put in passion, hard work and self-belief in your work, "I learnt acting on the sets, which was indeed a tall task. But raw actors like us come easy on the pockets of production houses and we throw no weight around," says Harshad. A stroke of destiny...

Additi Gupta, who plays a central character in the serial, was pursuing a fashion design degree from Symbiosis, Pune sometime back, but then the Balaji casting director visited the campus and zeroed in on her for the role. "I have left my degree in between to take up this role. It's an altogether new ballgame but now I have started enjoying it," says Additi, who had no intentions of becoming an actor though her mom did nurture a dream to see her become an actor! "Now, I am learning how to act, with my hair dresser, make-up assistant and the entire team offering me handy tips! I guess I got lucky to bag such a plump role. Maybe they liked my face. But yes, there are times when this whole acting thing gets irritating and patience-testing, but all's well that settles well," shares Additi.

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