| If you watch Kohinoor on Sahara One then probably the face you love to hate the most is Manish Wadhwa or Kaali as he is popularly known.
But for this resident of Goregaon (W), the archetypal villain has propelled him to a much-awaited recognition on TV.
Speaking of his first big break on television, the 33-year-old actor says, "Cinevistaas had seen my performance and after an audition, I landed the role." It is hard to miss his fondness and affection for the character.
"Kaali is larger than life and though he is evil, beneath it all, he has a good heart. He doesn't really want to kill but he cannot disobey his master's order. So he regrets his act every time. It's a juxtaposition of vulnerability and ferociousness," he adds.
Going by the kind of reaction he has received, he says he has reason to believe his role is being appreciated.
"When I started playing the part, all I was told was that in spite of being the villain, audiences should love me. I think I've achieved that because there have been people who have approached me and appreciated my acting.
Also, I haven't been assaulted by anyone on the streets yet and that I think, qualifies for a lot," he says.
Manish recently took professionalism to a new height perhaps when he whipped himself during a particular scene to make it look real.
"The one disadvantage of TV is that it captures intricate details which cannot be corrected by computer graphics. Therefore, for one particular scene, I actually whipped myself to achieve the desired results," he says.
Always inclined towards acting, he was awarded the University Best Actor by Kalina University for five consecutive years. No surprise then that he still dapples in theatre with his favourite play till date being Maa Retire Hoti Hain. Directed by Ramesh Talwar and produced by Sanjay Guladia, Manish plays Jaya Bachchan's son in it.
Speaking of his experience he says, "Sharing the stage with Jaya Bachchan was probably the most exciting and enlightening experience of my life. I have always been a huge fan of Amitji and Jayaji."
Acting with Jaya Bachchan definitely had its perks for the actor as he got a chance to meet his other idol, Amitabh Bachchan.
"Very often we rehearsed at Jayaji's bungalow and sometimes Amitji would stroll into the room, nibble on something and exchange a few words with us. I have always perceived him as larger than life and seeing his humble side was extremely refreshing," he gushes.
Manish has several fond memories from the play as well. "We were performing for an audience in Washington DC in April. After the play Jayaji addressed the crowd and asked them to wish her bada beta on his birthday and I was truly elated," he says.
After Maa Retire Hoti Hain, Manish bagged another play called Dr Mukta again as Jaya Bachchan's son; "I bagged the second play only because of Jayaji's recommendation," he says.
Besides his obvious love for theatre, Manish has also acted in the films Rahul, October 2 and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. His upcoming projects include Hope directed by Kamal Nathani and and Tujko Pukarein directed by Vinod Kumar.
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