Chat transcript-Ajay[Rahul of Miilee]

Transcript of LIVE CHAT with TV actor, Ajay Gehi at 12 noon on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 in Mumbai

Ajay Gehi
TV actor


"General trend among newcomers on TV is that they all want to play the part of the protagonist"

Aishwariya > Hi, how is your work going on in the serial Miillee ?
Ajay Gehi > It's going very well. It is kind of hectic, but (it's) great fun working.

Bang > What are your recent assignments?
Ajay Gehi > Besides doing Millee I am working in two feature films. One is to be directed by Dayal Nihalini and the other is going to be directed by Raman Kumar, and it's called Maya Mirage.

Java chat > Are you married?
Ajay Gehi > Yes, I am.

Meera > Hi, are you the guy from the Kingfisher ad with Ajay Jadeja? You emote well. Did you work in an ad agency before starting to act?
Ajay Gehi > Yes, I was the guy with Ajay Jadeja. About my acting, hey thanks. And, I have never worked in an ad agency.

Lili > How did you get into acting and modelling? Do you still model?
Ajay Gehi > Yes, I still model. As far as acting is concerned, I have always been engaged in performing arts, since school. I was always in dramatics, singing, and elocution competitions. So, when I went to college it continued albeit on a bigger scale with more audience and more applause and far more competition. By that time I discovered I wanted to be into acting, dancing etc and that would only be possible if I became an actor. Initially, I started off by modeling and my first ad was for a cold drink (Fanta). I got the ad by the audition. And from there I kept getting more assignments.

Jim > When is your birthday? Is your wife from the same field as you? What's her name? What does she do? When did the two of you get married?
Ajay Gehi > My birthday is on 3oth of July. My wife's name is Malvika. She works for an ad agency. In December this year we will complete three years of marriage.

Kali > Where are you from? Gehi is an unusual surname? Where did you complete your education?
Ajay Gehi > I was born and brought up in Mumbai. I did my studies at HR College (Mumbai). My grand dad lived in Karachi before the partition. Gehi is a small community that speak like Punjabis but are actually sindhis; they don't speak the typical Sindhi language.

Sachi > What in the serial Millee did you find exciting to have accepted the offer to act in it?
Ajay Gehi > There are so many things about the character of "Rahul" that I thought would be exciting to play and which could make him (Rahul) seem different from the heroes of the other serials. For e.g. he is a drummer-loves music, he is a next-door-rich-guy - full of life, happy go lucky and who has a point of view in everything, and is a big flirt too.

Jamboree > You made your debut in films – and with a good film like Maqbool . Why did you not do many films after that?
Ajay Gehi > I had signed films after Maqbool . But they are for some reason getting delayed (not gone into production). So, I didn't want to just wait for them to start. I guess they will be starting soon and by the end of the year hopefully, I will finish shooting for both of them. Eventually, I will be doing only films.

Becha > Is it true that youngsters in serials are not too serious about their careers and they won't make it in the long run...
Ajay Gehi > I don't know about (other) youngsters, but if you consider me as a youngster, I am a very serious and focussed person, have my entire career planned and following it religiously.

Clod > Are you very choosy about what assignments you take. Or you just take whatever comes your way?
Ajay Gehi > I think everybody in the industry knows that I am extremely choosy in whatever I do. And I do not just grab whatever is offered to me. That is one of the reason I did not jump on films (I did not believe in) offered to me after Maqbool .

Kkarishma > What type of role would you prefer in the future? Positive or negative?
Ajay Gehi > As an actor it's clich to say anything that challenges me. But I would want to do roles like Charles Theron in Monster , and the film called Ray , also Russell Crow in Beautiful Mind .

Sachi > Which media do you like the most - films or serials? And why?
Ajay Gehi > I like films the most because you get a lot of time to work on your character before you actually shoot, not to mention the adulation.

Sachi > Is it true that your wife was suspicious about you and Miillee so she comes to the studio to watch over?
Ajay Gehi > She has only come twice in the entire year, after being forced by me to visit. My wife and "Miillee" (Mona Wasu) are friends. Malvika (my wife) and I find this entire thing very funny and laugh about it. It's A BIG LIE.

Mona > What's the trend among newcomer today when they choose to do a particular role?
Ajay Gehi > They all want to play the protagonist or the central character in the soap.

Sachi > Did you deliberately choose a woman from outside this industry? Why? What is the one thing in your wife that you like the most? Was it love at first sight?
Ajay Gehi > I know Malvika since we were in school (eighth standard). We have been seeing each other since we were in high school. It's two best friends who said - what the hell, let's live a life together. And what I like about her is I don't have to call her million times a day or message her just to let her know that she is special. I just walk in to the house and she knows exactly what I have been through, what I am thinking and what I need.

Sign Off Message > Chase your dreams before your dreams chase you. Love, Ajay.