PROFILE: Karan Grover of Saarthi

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Posted: 20 years ago

Lucknow, July 31: On TV, he is the most loveable and likeable character. And, popular too. Saarthi produced by Asit Modi for Star Plus is his debut. That's Karan Grover, for you, who plays Arjun in this modern day Mahabharat, a noontime daily. ''Yes, it is doing very well. I am enjoying it completely. I think I am really lucky to get something like this to start off with. More so because most shows are women-oriented, but in this the men are fighting for love life and property. So it's a male-oriented show. And the women are in tandem, they love each other. So to play the protagonist in a show like this is great.'' smiles Grover.

He is a chemical engineer from Bombay Institute of Technology who also did event management when he failed his last year of engineering ''Although I cleared it later,'' he hastily adds, ''then I sent my pictures to Gladrags and got selected among the top 10. Then I was a VJ with Zee Music until I met Neha who's a friend and plays Bhoomika is Saarthi who told me to go and meet Gayatri, the casting head for the serial. I had long hair and a stubble and I went for the role of Yuvraj (the villain). Then Gayatri told me to cut my hair and have a clean shave and return to audition for Arjun. The next thing I knew, I was on,'' Grover recalls.

He also remembers his first day on a shoot:he was nervous and apprehensive because he was given armoury to wear and a moustache, sidelocks three times larger than his own: ''I didn't know what was happening. I told them I was not upto this. They explained to me that it's just a montage where they see Lord Krishna (who keeps appearing in Saarthi) aiming a bow a and an arrow. Today's Arjun is pointing a gun with Lord Krishna behind him. The montage shows Krishna Bhagwan the same way he was for 5,000 years,'' he explains.

Karan enjoys playing Arjun, this very nice simple guy who loves and protects his people, who is very sensitive and emotional and very pure at heart. ''It's a wonderful character. I am so happy doing it,'' he says. So Karan is now Arjun for most people who watch the show, regularly. Does that bother the actor? ''No, it doesn't. Not at all. That is what on actor wants, that people know you because of your character. That you should be famous. That people should come up and ask for you autograph. The funny part is people put my name in their phone book as Karan Arjun,'' he smiles.

The best day in his life was when, recently, he went out with his mother and he was surrrounded by fans for pictures and autographs ''It made her so happy and proud,'' he adds.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=141793