Q From a village bumpkin Raghu of Jab Love Hua to a middle class urban and educated Kartik of Santaan, isn't it quite a makeover for you?
Yes it is and I love it because both the characters and shows are quite different from each other. Moreover, Santaan is also quite different from the other dailies that are on air. This show is about a close-knit middle class family and it revolves around the relationship between parents and children. I think it is as close to reality as it can get. There are no rich people here and there are no typical saas-bahu issues and relationship politics either.
Q. So what's the show all about and what's the graph of your character in Santaan?
Santaan is about the sacrifices parents make for their children. They go through all kinds of problems and hardships to provide a decent upbringing and education to their children. They sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of their children. And when the children grow up parents have certain expectations from them. But the gap between expectations and what children do as part of their responsibility towards parents often creates problems in the family. This is the crux of the story which is explored through the relationship between father and his elder son Kartik.
Q. What creates the miss-match between the father's expectations and Kartik's responsibilities towards his parents and family?
The father has provided a good education to his elder son and in return the son wants his siblings to progress in life. Having seen his father going through financial hardship he realises that money makes the world go round. He wants to earn good money to support his family and his siblings' education. Since he works harder to earn more money, he is unable to devote enough time to his family. Lack of time and generation gap besides looking at life from different points of view creates problems in the family.
Q. People are used to watching opulent dramas of filthy rich families. Do you think a middle class family's story with all the financial problems they go through will go down well with viewers?
Why not? The real India is more about poor, middle and lower middle class people for whom every month end is like a struggle to survive on shallow pockets. Viewers can easily connect with the issues, problems and characters of Santaan because they are in no way different from people in general. If people have been watching soaps about rich people because there was no alternative. Now they have an alternative and I am sure that they will watch the show and will also identify with its story and characters.
Q. What do you like most about the show and your character?
The subject is really good. Of course the focus of the show is father and son relationship but there are several twists and turns in the story. For instance, there is an interesting track between Kartik and his younger brother who is quite an aggressive person. When I heard the subject I just grabbed it because it's quite a contrast for me from playing a dhoti-clad character in Jab Love Hua to a suited and booted one in Santaan.
Q. Which character do you identify more with?
A. Obviously it's got to be Kartik because I can relate to him more than Raghu. But playing Raghu was an brilliant experience though initially I was hesitant because it was a novel subject set in a village. The best thing about the show was its content and backdrop.
Q. After Jab Love Hua wound up, what did you do during your three-month break?
A. I slept a lot and enjoyed my holidays in Goa and Delhi. In fact, I didn't think of work at all for two months and spent lot of time with my family though I was offered three shows on Zee. But I needed a complete break from work and said no to the shows.
Q. Was modelling to acting in serials the logical progression to your career?
Yes, from 30-second campaigns to doing music video and finally serials was a logical progression. I couldn't have done anything else. I think I did the best thing by opting for television because I have got the best of roles today.
www.deccan.com
Shiv Shakti
