Karan Oberoi’s Right Moves - An article

"I'M IN LOVE WITH MONA (SINGH) BUT WE'RE NOT ENGAGED"

KARAN OBEROI HAS RECENTLY BEEN IN THE NEWS for two reasons. One, he's the love of Mona Singh's life. And two, he has replaced Sunil Pal as the new host of Antakshari on Zee. But once upon a time, before Mona Singh and Antakshari happened, Karan was known for his stellar performance in Saaya, where he shared the screen with actors like Manasi Joshi Roy and Achint Kaur. Soon after, A Band Of Boys happened, and most assumed that Karan had bid a farewell to a promising acting career.

But that was a wrong assumption. In an interview with Showtime, Karan lets us in on the real reasons behind his decision to stay away from TV, his experience of being part of a boy band, his future production ambitions, and of course, he tells us about the woman who has captivated his heart, Mona Singh.

But work comes first, and we want to know why he isn't doing any mainstream soaps? "I keep doing cameos once in a while. But nothing else. The last thing I did was Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin. And that was about a year-and-a-half ago. It's a conscious effort to keep away from daily soaps. I think a lot of mediocrity has set into television since the time I used to act, which was a while back, maybe six years."

That would be the time he was doing Saaya. "Correct. I thought that was one of the best times for television. There was a lot of emphasis on storytelling and quality. Now, television has become a factory and actors have become like labourers. And my motto in life has always been that mediocrity is death. If I can't stand myself on television, then I wonder what the audiences go through. That's why I refuse to be a part of the rat race," he says, a wry grin on his face.

So what would make him take up a show on TV? "I'm still open to doing television but the role has to interest me. The producers and directors should be very charged up about doing something that is out of the ordinary. That's why I had taken up Jassi… Because it was so different."

It's this need to do different work that has made him take up Antakshari too. "I had been in talks with them since a while now," he informs. "They wanted me to host the show along with Himani, and the team seemed quite charged. I was very clear right at the beginning. If they wanted another Annu Kapoor, I wouldn't do it. But they wanted me to be as original as possible. I'm excited about it, because they've changed the format so drastically, it's beyond belief. This kind of a show has never been done on Indian television before. I feel like I'm hosting a rock show. There's a lot of emphasis on creativity; in fact, most of the time we shoot without a script." No inhibitions about replacing Sunil Pal? "Why should I have any inhibitions? I am concerned with what I can bring to the table. I'm going to bring my personality to the forefront."

The conversation moves to his musical pursuits with A Band Of Boys. Although not the main reason, it did contribute to his decision of taking a brief hiatus from television. "I had a lot of training to go through for the band. And then I was travelling more than 300 days a year, which is why no producers could get my dates even if they wanted to. But even then, when I would flip channels and check out the shows on TV, I would see stuff, which was quite shocking. Especially those daily soaps, where the actors don't have to act, the camera does that for you. The only sensible show that I saw then was Jassi…. That's why I was eventually happy to take it up. It was disappointing to see it turning mediocre later. But it still generated TRPs for them. That's what mattered I guess."

He's been in the industry for so long, and is yet to work with the biggest production house in the country, Balaji. "Balaji has been calling me but the only problem has been they need very heavy dates. Unfortunately, whenever they've called me, I've been busy with other commitments. We never really got talking about a specific role. But whenever any of the executive producers have called me, they've first asked me about the dates, and then about the role. Then it becomes difficult for me. The minute you get into dates, and not the role, it scares me."

Isn't he losing out on a lot of fame and money by adopting such a picky attitude? "I agree that television is big money today. Television stars are huge, not just here, but the world over. However, I've always lived my life on my own terms and conditions. If I were part of a show, where I saw myself and wondered 'What am I doing here?' it would be the end for me. Money is not a motivation; it's a means to an end. Quality is what matters, whether it's my singing, my videos, anything."

Karan has this interesting viewpoint on the state of Indian television today, in comparison to the different movie eras. "We had a beautiful period of Hrishikesh Mukherjee films, which was the seventies. It was meaningful cinema, the kind I've always liked. Then came the eighties, with a lot of action and Mithun Chakraborty films. They also catered to certain audiences and people liked them. But I couldn't sit through them. I feel television is going through the same rigmarole. The Saaya times were the Hrishikesh Mukherjee times of television, when a lot of effort was paid to narratives and storytelling and characters. Now, we're going through the eighties era. I feel the bubble is going to burst soon. Just how cinema has become meaningful again, someone is going to make an effort to change the sorry state of affairs on television."

That would explain why he has taken up the mantle of producer. "I have a company now, which will be producing television software and films. But I'll only produce stuff that I completely believe in. I'm not following the idea of what is working or not. I'll make mainstream soaps and films, but the way I want to tell them. I'm not really doing it for money. God has been kind; I'm making enough through my shows. I'm kind of hoping that I would be the person, who changes the television scenario."

What happens to his commitment to the band, with his production ambitions? "The band is doing very well. And I will continue to be a part of it," says Karan. "Unfortunately, we haven't been very media savvy. Because of which, very often, I have a lot of questions thrown to me like 'What are you doing now, since the band is no longer alive?' And this is asked to a band that does more than 100 gigs a year, and is one of the most prolific bands in the country. I think we've faltered quite a bit in our approach with the media."

He elaborates on the same, "We're very happy doing our college gigs, at the IITs and IIMs, NIFT etc. There are some four or five bands that are huge in the country, and we are one of them. But just the fact that we're not Mumbai-centric, or part of the Mumbai glitterati, or all over the papers, has led to people believing that we're over and done with."

Speculation arose when Sudhanshu Pandey quit the band. It was assumed that since he was leaving, the band would follow and disintegrate. "Sudhanshu quit at the same time when Viva (the girl band) split. Naturally, everyone thought we were splitting too. It was pure bad timing. Thankfully, the gigs never stopped. And I think that's because we have a very rocking live act. We've been consistent for six years and do more than 100 gigs a year. I think that says a lot about us."

In an interview to Showtime a few months back, Sudhanshu had revealed that he quit the band, following the rigid rules enforced by the management. "Yes, he had problems with the management. But that time the management was extremely tight on us. We weren't allowed to do films or pursue anything other than the band. That was good because we had to rehearse quite a bit to get better at what we were doing. But in our spare time, we should have been allowed to do whatever we wanted. That's changed since about two years. We don't have the management anymore. We're independent now and managing ourselves, which is very comfortable since we're very close knit as friends too. Everyone can sing outside, beyond the band as well, as long as it doesn't affect our performance during our gigs. The audience has to go crazy when we perform; that's all we care about."

The passion in his voice when he talks about performing and singing is far more obvious than when he talks about acting. Does acting take second place to performing? "Oh please, there's no comparison. I'd give up acting any day. Acting is more of a hobby; singing is my first love. The only reason I came to Mumbai was to be a singer. Acting happened by default because I had to keep the kitchen fires burning. It takes more time to establish yourself as a singer. If it hadn't been for the auditions for A Band Of Boys, I think I would have still been struggling to make it as a singer. I wanted to be a part of music. Actually a rockstar, like Ronan Keating or Robbie Williams, and maybe someday I will be."

Amen to that! In the meanwhile, something that has already taken place is his supposed engagement to girlfriend Mona Singh. Is there any truth to the rumours? "That's not true at all. Everyone's aware that I'm seeing her but no, we're not engaged."

Why did they insist on keeping their relationship such a big secret? Wouldn't it have been easier to come out with the fact that they were seeing each other? "You know what, there was really no secret," he argues. "When you meet someone, you're a little wary because you take some time to get to know the person. Especially if you've been through some experiences in the past. It's not about getting into a relationship as soon as you know each other, or start spending time together. You've got to test the waters to know if you're compatible. And at that delicate time, if people start speculating about your relationship, then it bothers you. In our case, it almost became like a circus. I'm a very private person and so is Mona. We're both very guarded. I understand that we're also public figures. But we were speaking the truth when we were saying that we were just good friends. All we were asking for was time. We would be open about it, once we were sure."

The constant intrusion into their personal life must have really got to them. "It was so annoying," he states exasperatedly. "There's no doubt about the fact that we were spending a lot of time together. Dinners, getting to know each others' likes and dislikes, just dating actually. That's why it was irritating to read all that was written about us. Also, both Mona and I don't have that Mumbai upbringing, where our parents would be okay with us being written about. Our dads are from the army, and they weren't very happy reading those articles. That is why we were shouting ourselves hoarse from the rooftops, saying 'Please do not print.' It was affecting our personal equation. We had to stop talking to each other. In spite of not being in a relationship, we were being written about. That was a little too much."

But isn't not talking to each other quite an extreme reaction? "You have to understand, for me it was still all right. Because after a point, my parents would think I'm a guy, so it doesn't matter. She's a girl and she lives with her parents. Which father would be happy to read about his daughter having a relationship with someone, without having a clue about it? Her parents are very nice people, but I'm sure they'd want to be informed about any such development. We were just friends then, but we were being written about in the papers as a couple. Our marriage was being talked about. Which father would be okay with that? And every time he'd ask her, she'd say we're just friends. Then he'd wonder how come these articles? Mona would have no words to explain."

Why didn't they dismiss it as just another link-up? "Well, see, if you've grown up in Mumbai, you're aware of how the media functions. You've read those tabloids and the gossip. When you come from an army background, it's quite unnerving. Actually, in the army you're encouraged to be friends with the opposite sex. You can have a healthy friendship with a woman without any sexual notions. But here, it's always taken in the other way. With Mona and me, our friendship started because of our common army background. We'd talk about stuff; hang out and slowly realized we liked each other. But that happened just about a couple of months back. I think before Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. I never had a problem being open about a relationship if it existed."

Things seem to be absolutely perfect for Mona and Karan. Karan incidentally, seems to have got the nod from Mona's parents too. "They like me. We've spent time together in Malaysia when I was shooting there. They were travelling with her. We'd have dinners together, and the fauji connection is very strong. The army is a very small unit. Everybody knows everybody kind of thing. Our dads have fought in the wars, my father is a war veteran of three wars, and her dad is a war veteran of two wars. There's a connection always."

So when do we hear the wedding bells ringing? "We haven't made any plans yet. There's a lot to be achieved even for Mona. She has an aspiring Bollywood career ahead of her. And I have some plans in my life too, related to music and production. I won't say marriage is on hold; we'll discuss it at a conducive time and see how it goes. I don't want to jump the gun. I'm in love with Mona for sure; we're officially seeing each other. She is my girlfriend. And we're hoping for the best ahead too."

With a new show as anchor to his name, a production house, a successful musical career and a blooming love life, Karan Oberoi's life seems full of abundant opportunities. It remains to be seen if he can convert these opportunities into momentous achievements!
— Sneha Kamat