I was lost 4 3 months:Rahil[Suraj]

You have seen him testing all shades of characters, from evil to romantic, even mythological. Rahil Azam is like that. Unwilling to adjust myself into any mould, he never tries hard to fit in. Nor does he angle for newsprint space with his onscreen or offscreen antics. Despite alluring offers knocking at his door, he's shrugged them all off - except one enticing assignment - that of Aditya Balraj in Star One's forthcoming J D Majethia production Resham Dankh.

Rahil Azam, for the first time ever, pours his heart out to media. He talks to Tellychakkar.com's Riya V Anandwala about life during and after Hatim (his claim to fame on Star Plus), on rejecting attractive offers, and about his dream role in Resham Dankh.

You have not been seen for a long time. After Hatim, you suddenly disappeared and then resurfaced in Saarthi.
I was offered a lot of shows. But I wanted to do something that was self-satisfying but again, I didn't want to do a multi starrer after Hatim, where I was the lead.

A lot of your fans think that opting for Saarthi was a mistake...
I believe that something is better than nothing. After Hatim, I was offered many series, but the character of Soorajkiran in Saarthi was a performance oriented role. And it has many shades to it, so Saarthi for me, became a platform, which allowed me to grow.

You were very popular among kids thanks to Hatim...
The Hatim experience has been out of the world. But frankly speaking, I didn't enjoy the fame even one per cent. This was because I was in far off Baroda (in Gujarat) shooting for Hatim, and I didn't know what hype it created back in Mumbai. So when I came back, I was completely lost for three months, as I was leading a monotonous life in Baroda.

Depression?
Yes, I was living on the sets in Baroda for a year and a half. It was like... shooting and coming back to your room, no life at all.

How was it working with Sagar Arts?
They have been very kind to me. The journey with them is unforgettable. They wanted me in all their shows, which include Prithviraj Chauhan and also Lucky.

So why did you turn down Prithviraj Chauhan?
I couldn't bear living and shooting in Baroda again. Although the production house did agree to all my terms, I felt I should be waiting for something more..and then Resham Dankh was offered.

So any regrets for having quit Prithviraj?
Not at all, I have already many mistakes in life, not any more!

Let's talk about Resham Dankh, how did it all happen?
Well, I had gone to take the screen test, and initially, I thought it's just another daily soap. But when I heard the script, I told them that no one else can do justice to this character but me!

Tell us something about your character?
I play a business tycoon, Aditya Balraj. The character is extremely shrewd when it comes to business. It's a love story between a father and a son; it's a story fo the father's revenge.

What about your co-stars?
I have worked with Moulli prior to this, so we have a comfort level and a great chemistry. I am very fond of Kiran Karmarkar and always wanted to work with him. Apart from that Apara Mehta, Sumeet Raghvan too are very good.

This is the first time you are working with Hats Off productions, how has the experience been so far?
Incredible! They want to be and are perfect with everything. My character has been written so well, and apart when it comes to acting, in Hats Off, it's more of method acting.

We have seen you in all genres, except comedy?
You give me a good product and I will do it. I have always been open and never restrict myself from doing any genre. On the contrary, comedy is my forte, I feel!

Tell us about the real Rahil Azam?
I am yet to find that out! There is so much to him, so much unknown, and honestly, I don't want to be Rahil Azam, because the day I zero down to something, I will be limiting myself!

If you were not an actor, which field would you opt for?
I am a software engineer; I even worked for a Banglore IT company before coming to Mumbai.

Do you think that the media has been unfair to you?
No, not at all. It's just that they are following the conventional pattern. But everyone needs to realise that there are other actors in the industry too!