TOI-I will always be thankful to Ekta Kapoor: Saurabh Raaj

TV actor Saurabh Raaj Jain, better known as Lord Krishna of Mahabharat, says he is happy with the way his career is shaping up

Going on strong
Saurabh Raaj Jain is a popular name on television. After being a part of serials like Parichay, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev and Uttaran, Saurabh is now enjoying playing lord Krishna on screen in Mahabharat. "I have been working on television for almost a decade now. After my first show Remix, I took a break of two years to complete my studies since I was in the second year of my college. As an actor, whatever came to me I just took it. I never thought ki iss serial se mujhe kya milega ya ussko karne se kitni popularity milegi. For me it was just my passion for acting. Though I had been around for a very long time, it was the serial Parichay that brought me into the limelight. The serial was a turning point in my career and I will always be thankful to Ekta (Kapoor) for that."

Waiting to lead
And though Saurabh has worked in many serials and has gained popularity too, he is still to be launched as a lead. But the actor says he has no complains. "I didn't have that thing in my mind that I want to be launched as a lead in a serial. The only thing on my mind was to act. Even though other than my education, I don't have any backup plan, I am okay with my career graph. So far, with the grace of God, I have been getting shows one after another. Post my break, I did a stint in Kasamh Se, then immediately after that I did Jai Shree Krishna, after that I did Meet Mila De Rabba and so on. Working for money was never a problem for me."

Paid holiday
Not many people know that Saurabh was kept on hold for a year and paid for the entire period for the role of Krishna in Mahabharat. "I shot the pilot episode with producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary which was directed by Nikhil Sinha, who is the producer and director of Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. So, after that pilot, he himself came to me and said 'You are my Krishna'. And I was like 'Ok, we will see'. Then the project, since it was so huge, was put on hold for a long time and so was I. I was given a lump sum amount every month and told that I can't do any other project. To play Krishna, I was put on hold for almost a year and was paid to do nothing," he says with a smile.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-06/news-interviews/45917706_1_saurabh-raaj-jain-lord-krishna-mahabharat