||Mahabharat - Article Archive|| DT's Nt pg 65 - Page 46

Confident about his craft, TV actor Saurabh Raj Jain, who plays Lord Krishna in mythological drama Mahabharat, says he didn't find the role challenging because he was focused and didn't get distracted by comparisons

"People were fixated to certain characters they played. What matters to me is the role I am given and how convincingly I portray the character on the screen. I don't think about being compared to the actors who portrayed Krishna before. PlayingKrishna was not a challenge," said Saurabh on the sets of the show.

Decked up in heavy jewellery and his costume, the tall actor sat down for the group interview on the Hastinapur Darbar set after giving a shot with his co-star Pooja Sharma (Draupadi). Although the sets are erected near the beach here, it was quite hot and the actor quenched his thirst before he started fielding questions.

The 32-year-old said that the new Mahabharat is different from the one directed by BR Chopra 20 years ago in which Nitish Bhardwaj had played Krishna. "It was a different time and age. The technology is much more advanced now with cutting edge computer graphics. The scripts are also more detailed. Our team has made an effort to tell the story in a different manner," he said.

This is the third time Saurabh is seen in a mythological drama, following his role as Vishnu in Jai Shri Krishna and Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev. Talking about his character, he said: "The element that describes Krishna best is water. Just like water everything about Krishna is calm and serene... Whatever he says has a rhythm to it. This was something I had to work on. While, I got into the practice of talking like Krishna after a certain period of time and also perfected the gestures and movements with practice."

Why a mythological show? "Why not? I have done fictional shows in the past. When the character is well written and has substance, it does not matter whether the show is fictional or not," said the actor seen in shows like Parichay and Uttaran.

He is not afraid of being stereotyped. "There is no stereotyping now. It used to happen years ago when there weren't many channels and people would get stereotyped in one particular look. Nowadays, we have a lot of channels and hence a lot of opportunities for everyone to broaden their horizons."

Saurabh along with his co-stars shoots in the humid climate fully loaded with costume, jewellery and sometimes weapons. Although they dress up in an air-conditioned room, they have to shoot in the hot and humid weather. But weather conditions have not taken a toll on the actor. "It's very hot here in Umargaon, but this is part of work. Our job is to entertain our viewers and we enjoy doing it. We have shot a sequence where the war is about to begin but Krishna is making efforts to stop the war and approaches the Kauravas and Pandavaas with a peace proposal," said the actor.

He is contented with the audience's response. "People are liking my work and have appreciated it. They love getting photographs clicked with Krishna." Saurabh said he attended actor-director Rajat Kapoor's workshops to hone his acting skills and even read a lot of books. "Rajat Kapoor had conducted workshops, which I had attended whenever I had the time. I also read a lot of books by different authors with different interpretations and points of view like Palaces Of Illusion,Jaya and Difficulty Of Being Good."

When asked about his bonding with co-stars, the actor said, "We are all united like a family. It is our second home." Of course, there is a spiritual side to his personality. "I do not worship any one deity in particular. I don't know whether I am religious or not but I know I'm somewhere connected to god," said Saurabh

http://www.bollywoodlife.com/tv/saurabh-raj-jain-i-dont-think-about-being-compared-to-the-actors-who-portrayed-krishna-before-me/

The petite actor also speaks about her equation with Saurabh Raj Jain aka Krishna...

Model-turned-actor Pooja Sharma, seen as Draupadi in mythological TV dramaMahabharat, says the show has been a training ground for her and describes cheer haran (disrobing) as the toughest shooting sequence. The show, which went on air September 2013 on Star Plus, has already beamed the disrobing sequence. "Thecheer haran sequence was a difficult one. It was demanding, taxing and physically very exhausting," Pooja said. "And especially to understand the standards as to why these five men, who claim to be my husbands, are quiet on such a traumatic incident. And what was the reason that made them handicapped?" she added.

With no formal training in acting, for Pooja Mahabharat turned out to be a learning experience. "My preparations happened on the set. I was one of the last few people to join the cast. There wasn't much time. I had a few meetings and discussions with the creative team, but beyond that the preparations happened slowly and gradually on the sets," Pooja told from the sets of the show. "From how to speak the language, how to cry, how to memorise your lines, the show has really been my training ground," added the actor, who sat for the interview in Draupadi's costume - red coloured outfit paired with jewelries. She started her career as a television presenter, but the actor was always inclined towards performing arts. "I hosted shows for Zoom, plus I have done a lot of ads too. And yes, I have also modeled for a lot of products," she said.

However, working in the show is not a cake walk, says the actor who gets drained physically because of the long hours and heavy costumes. And weather isn't very helpful either despite the fact that sets are closer to the beach here. "Physically it is draining since it takes me long to dress up. It takes me at least two-and-half to three-hour every day to dress up because of the heavy costumes and jewelry. Also the shooting goes on for long hours, but besides that it has been an emotionally enriching experience."

In the show Draupadi is Lord Krishna's Sakhi (friend). How about off-screen? Saurabh Raj Jain plays Krishna in the show. "Saurabh is a very sweet person to work with. Most of my scenes are with him. He is very competent and a committed actor, so it's fun doing scenes with him. We both call each other Sakhi and Sakha off screen too. In the older series of Mahabharat, the friendship Krishna and Draupadi shared wasn't profoundly showcased. It was only established in this series," said the actor.

http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/pooja-sharma-aka-draupadi-from-mahabharat-feels-that-the-cheer-haran-sequence-was-toughest-one/

Summer time is vacation time. Yesterday Pinkvilla told you that Gunjan Utreja aka Abhay from Madhubala is on a US trip and now it's Shaheer Sheikh who is in a holiday mood. Shaheer who plays a pivotal role of Arjun in Star Plus' Mahabharat has taken some time off his busy shooting schedule and flown to Thailand.

Shaheer is having a blast with his guy friends. He is enjoying biking and water sports there. Holidaying with friends is the most enjoyable time of your life. Our TV stars definitely know how to have fun when they are out with their gang of best buddies.

Shaheer tweeted few pictures where he is seen having loads of fun with his friends-

pic.twitter.com/ETziO2oSmo" Shaheer Sheikh (@Shaheer_S) May 4, 2014

After shooting for so many grueling hours, Shaheer you definitely deserve this! Hope you really had a good time!!

Wrestler-turned-TV actor Saurav, who made his debut as Bheem in the mythological show Mahabharat, says that he was shortlisted for the role because of his physique and not for his acting skills

"I wasn't good at acting. I was selected for the role because of my physique. I worked on my acting skills during workshops by Rajat Kapoor," said Saurav Gurjar.

The tall actor was busy shooting a war sequence with his co-stars Shaheer Sheikh(Arjun), Vin Rana (Nakul) and Lavanya Bharadwaj (Sahadev) in the hot and humid climate donning a heavy costume and jewellery while interacting with journalists on the set.

Keeping his build and his role in mind, the actor has to hog on a lot of food. "I have to take care of my health and physique since I have to fight the most in the war. Arjun has his expertise in bow and arrow. But fist fights and sword fights have to be performed by me. So, I eat almost throughout the day," he said.

A regular at the gym, he often compromises on his sleep to maintain his physique. "I go to the gym regularly. Minimum four times a week. Be it before the shoot in the morning or after the shoot in the evening. I even compromise on my sleep to be in a good shape because my role demands it. I sometimes get only three-four hours of sleep," he added.

To be as convincing as possible, Saurav read several mythological books to get a hang of his character. "For people, Bheem was a huge and strong man. I had to go through several books in order to know my character well. The internet does not have much information." Thanks to the show, he is now popular as Bheem among his fans. "People now call me Bheem whenever I go out," he said

http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/wrestler-saurav-gurjar-my-acting-skills-didnt-get-me-role-in-mahabharat/