Jassi's Hero

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Posted: 20 years ago

Jassi's hero

Samir Soni, the man who's now in the hotseat is too smitten to admit that Jassi jaissi koi nahin

Baisakhi Roy

Mumbai, October 10: HOW does he feel now that the focus has shifted from both main characters, Jassi and Armaan to him? ''I really don't think that's true. Jassi's truly the mainstay of the story. But I guess Purab symbolises niceness and every man identifies with a bit of what he is,'' says Samir Soni, the Delhi boy who's been in Mumbai for the past eight years now. "It's always about her. Without Jassi, there's no story,'' continues the 33-year-old actor. One wonders if he too (like the rest of the cast) is playing out his onscreen part of being the noble man smitten by geek queen Jassi, in real life. But then the shy smile peeks out and you know that you have a straight-talker here. Soni's character (Purab) is that of a suave, generous and soft-spoken man who is the foil to the bad guy that's Armaan Sir (Apoorva Agnihotri) for the ignorant.

Baisakhi Roy

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He made his mark as the cunning but slick Ashok Gupta in Doordarshan's A Mouthful of Sky in 1996, followed by forgettable cameos in films like Raj Kumar Santoshi's China Gate. Now he insists that crossover films are right up his alley. ''I think that there's a niche but growing audience out there that wants to watch crossover cinema. Besides, I think there is a touch of reality to these kind of films'' he says. Soni played a part in the recent Pamela Rooks film, Dance like a Man and will soon be seen alongside Mandira Bedi in a play by Vikranth Pawar, tentatively titled Double Act. So will he do everything else but commercial cinema? After all, most move to Mumbai for that big break on the big screen. But our man says, ''Theatre is refreshing to do once in a while. I think it keeps an actor on his toes. As far as films are concerned, if there is a role that excites me enough, I'll do it.'' The finance student from UCLA, USA, is known for his goody-two-shoes image. Does he feel stereotyped? ''I do get feedback saying that I play very similar characters in my serials. But I've also played a slum dweller in a short film by Faisal Khan (Aamir Khan's brother) called Basti,'' he counters. So, a final shot, will Soni love his dear bracy Jassi till the end of time? ''I'm guessing till the serial gets over, yes, I'll love her,'' he twinkles.

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Jassi's Hero

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