Posted:
Pulkit Samrat
[8 Jun 2007]
"I ALWAYS WANTED HEADS TO TURN WHEN I WALKED DOWN A STREET"
This would have qualified as one of my few personal encounters with a 'boy' (as my mum calls them). More so, had I told her that morning who I was to interview, she would have made it difficult for me to leave home on time – not before the never-ending list of unrelenting enquiries (punctuated by aahs and oohs!) and the unreasonable insistence that I take her along! Hell, that night she asked me, incredulously and full of motherly love (no no, not for me but for her beloved Lakshya from Kyunki…), "So was he sitting in front of you or by your side at the coffee shop?" Hmmm!
I had half a mind of teasing her by saying something scandalous but I managed a smile. Well, that's the effect Pulkit Samrat — television's new dreamboat — has on everyone. From 'Miss'es to Moms, he's everyone's darling!
Originally from New Delhi, Pulkit came to Mumbai in 2004 at the ambitious age of 20. "I wanted to become an actor since my childhood. Since the time that I have been in my senses, I have always wanted to act," he says. An easy decision made early on, then pursued the hard way. "I reached Mumbai on 17th October, 2004, the big day." A sign-up with Elite Modelling Agency landed him his first TV commercial with Asian Paints "wherein I just had to smile." The venue being Film City, he reminisces over how he had always heard about on-the-sets Bollywood stories. "It was great standing there, amidst all the drama and for the first time, facing the camera."
And how did his family react to him joining the world of glamour? "My mother was always supportive but my dad was a little apprehensive," he states. Not without reason, since Pulkit comes from a medical background, and was all set for an Engineering career and then a degree in Advertising. "I didn't take any formal training in acting because I just didn't have the money to pay the fees at a well-known acting institute. But after my first commercial happened, there was no looking back. Instead of coming to Mumbai, I'd like to say that Mumbai called me," he smiles.
But life for the young aspirant wasn't without its share of ups and downs. Earlier in 2005, Pulkit was to feature in Mahesh Goswami's much-hyped show Sixxer, scripted by Shobhaa De, but unfortunately it turned into a sour episode. As he recalls, "I was very frustrated that entire year. It was a cricket-based serial so we had put in three months of cricket practice and shot about four-five episodes. But due to some problems with the channel and the production house, the serial did not take off. For almost a year, there were complications and disrupted shooting schedules.
After waiting impatiently for months on end, I started getting restless. So much so that in that one year, I must have flown Mumbai-Delhi around 15-20 times! I'm a very homesick person. I cannot stay away from my home. I could not plan a vacation with my family and most of all, they (the production house) always called me back to Mumbai and never started work." His father had given him a year's time to make a mark. "He told me, 'If things don't work within that period, come back home.' And I was getting scared because the year was coming to an end."
The show eventually never took off but fortunately or not, around then, he was offered another soap, Ek Radha Ek Shyam. Pulkit reveals, "I had a minor argument with the director (Vijay Pandey of Sixxer) regarding this issue. I was in an exclusive contract with him. The objection from his end was that he wanted to launch me. I told him that I would keep him as my priority and would give him dates as and when he needed me. But unwillingly, I had to leave Ek Radha…" That was the worst blow for him. "Where do I go from here was the question," he reminisces.
And then, Lady Luck smiled on him at the most unexpected moment and he got a call from Balaji. "I remember that day very clearly…it was the 1st of June," he smiles. "I was called to Mumbai and the look for the character of Lakshya was being finalised. I went to Balaji House for a small screen test. Ekta came in and said, 'We've got our Lakshya.' They had been looking for an actor to play this character for four-five months. There was a great deal of curiosity and anxiety as to who would play the part, as the scheduled telecast was due soon. The celebration that followed was crazy with the entire Balaji cast present. Then on, we shot day and night and I had no complaints. This is what I always wanted. It was fun!"
It was a great entry too! With him waltzing on the screen to the tune of the title song of the movie Kisna, all in typical Ekta (Kapoor) style, with the camera moving slowly upward to reveal his identity to the gaping viewers! "That was the day I realized that all that struggle, frustration and dejection for the last two years were for a purpose; it all happened just so that I didn't lose hope."
There was no looking back after that. As Lakshya, he charmed the entire nation and became the hottest dreamboat on television. Did he expect his character to create such a huge impact? Despondently, yet in a manner of utter acceptance, he states, "The whole sweetness, the smartness and the charm…it's something I can't do much about. But I love it all. I have always wanted heads to turn when I walked down a street. I have always waited to be recognized and to be appreciated for my work. Now that it is happening, I don't want to shy away from it all."
Still, he's not come to terms with some of the realities of a daily soap. As he puts it, "At times, they are writing the script while I am getting ready for the shot; it is that bad. But the atmosphere on the sets is great. I am working with the best team of actors, directors, technicians…all of whom are helpful to the point of bringing out the best in me. I would not be half of what I am today if it wasn't for them."
But television is not his destination – Pulkit has bigger plans up his sleeve. "Right now, television is just a way to learn and move ahead. Eventually, I want to enter the film industry. There were times when I was screaming and whining to my friends that this is not my best; that I can do much better. I have always trained myself in accordance to films, never to TV. I need to work on a character, to get a feel of it, which you can't do on TV. I still try to do my best but this is not my best," he explains. So it's Bollywood calling for Pulkit Samrat. All you Lakshya fans out there enjoy him while he lasts on the small screen.
http://magnamags.com/magna_showtime/node/917
[8 Jun 2007]
"I ALWAYS WANTED HEADS TO TURN WHEN I WALKED DOWN A STREET"
This would have qualified as one of my few personal encounters with a 'boy' (as my mum calls them). More so, had I told her that morning who I was to interview, she would have made it difficult for me to leave home on time – not before the never-ending list of unrelenting enquiries (punctuated by aahs and oohs!) and the unreasonable insistence that I take her along! Hell, that night she asked me, incredulously and full of motherly love (no no, not for me but for her beloved Lakshya from Kyunki…), "So was he sitting in front of you or by your side at the coffee shop?" Hmmm!
I had half a mind of teasing her by saying something scandalous but I managed a smile. Well, that's the effect Pulkit Samrat — television's new dreamboat — has on everyone. From 'Miss'es to Moms, he's everyone's darling!
Originally from New Delhi, Pulkit came to Mumbai in 2004 at the ambitious age of 20. "I wanted to become an actor since my childhood. Since the time that I have been in my senses, I have always wanted to act," he says. An easy decision made early on, then pursued the hard way. "I reached Mumbai on 17th October, 2004, the big day." A sign-up with Elite Modelling Agency landed him his first TV commercial with Asian Paints "wherein I just had to smile." The venue being Film City, he reminisces over how he had always heard about on-the-sets Bollywood stories. "It was great standing there, amidst all the drama and for the first time, facing the camera."
And how did his family react to him joining the world of glamour? "My mother was always supportive but my dad was a little apprehensive," he states. Not without reason, since Pulkit comes from a medical background, and was all set for an Engineering career and then a degree in Advertising. "I didn't take any formal training in acting because I just didn't have the money to pay the fees at a well-known acting institute. But after my first commercial happened, there was no looking back. Instead of coming to Mumbai, I'd like to say that Mumbai called me," he smiles.
But life for the young aspirant wasn't without its share of ups and downs. Earlier in 2005, Pulkit was to feature in Mahesh Goswami's much-hyped show Sixxer, scripted by Shobhaa De, but unfortunately it turned into a sour episode. As he recalls, "I was very frustrated that entire year. It was a cricket-based serial so we had put in three months of cricket practice and shot about four-five episodes. But due to some problems with the channel and the production house, the serial did not take off. For almost a year, there were complications and disrupted shooting schedules.
After waiting impatiently for months on end, I started getting restless. So much so that in that one year, I must have flown Mumbai-Delhi around 15-20 times! I'm a very homesick person. I cannot stay away from my home. I could not plan a vacation with my family and most of all, they (the production house) always called me back to Mumbai and never started work." His father had given him a year's time to make a mark. "He told me, 'If things don't work within that period, come back home.' And I was getting scared because the year was coming to an end."
The show eventually never took off but fortunately or not, around then, he was offered another soap, Ek Radha Ek Shyam. Pulkit reveals, "I had a minor argument with the director (Vijay Pandey of Sixxer) regarding this issue. I was in an exclusive contract with him. The objection from his end was that he wanted to launch me. I told him that I would keep him as my priority and would give him dates as and when he needed me. But unwillingly, I had to leave Ek Radha…" That was the worst blow for him. "Where do I go from here was the question," he reminisces.
And then, Lady Luck smiled on him at the most unexpected moment and he got a call from Balaji. "I remember that day very clearly…it was the 1st of June," he smiles. "I was called to Mumbai and the look for the character of Lakshya was being finalised. I went to Balaji House for a small screen test. Ekta came in and said, 'We've got our Lakshya.' They had been looking for an actor to play this character for four-five months. There was a great deal of curiosity and anxiety as to who would play the part, as the scheduled telecast was due soon. The celebration that followed was crazy with the entire Balaji cast present. Then on, we shot day and night and I had no complaints. This is what I always wanted. It was fun!"
It was a great entry too! With him waltzing on the screen to the tune of the title song of the movie Kisna, all in typical Ekta (Kapoor) style, with the camera moving slowly upward to reveal his identity to the gaping viewers! "That was the day I realized that all that struggle, frustration and dejection for the last two years were for a purpose; it all happened just so that I didn't lose hope."
There was no looking back after that. As Lakshya, he charmed the entire nation and became the hottest dreamboat on television. Did he expect his character to create such a huge impact? Despondently, yet in a manner of utter acceptance, he states, "The whole sweetness, the smartness and the charm…it's something I can't do much about. But I love it all. I have always wanted heads to turn when I walked down a street. I have always waited to be recognized and to be appreciated for my work. Now that it is happening, I don't want to shy away from it all."
Still, he's not come to terms with some of the realities of a daily soap. As he puts it, "At times, they are writing the script while I am getting ready for the shot; it is that bad. But the atmosphere on the sets is great. I am working with the best team of actors, directors, technicians…all of whom are helpful to the point of bringing out the best in me. I would not be half of what I am today if it wasn't for them."
But television is not his destination – Pulkit has bigger plans up his sleeve. "Right now, television is just a way to learn and move ahead. Eventually, I want to enter the film industry. There were times when I was screaming and whining to my friends that this is not my best; that I can do much better. I have always trained myself in accordance to films, never to TV. I need to work on a character, to get a feel of it, which you can't do on TV. I still try to do my best but this is not my best," he explains. So it's Bollywood calling for Pulkit Samrat. All you Lakshya fans out there enjoy him while he lasts on the small screen.
http://magnamags.com/magna_showtime/node/917
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