Sabras Radio Interview of Ashish by Raj Baddhan(17.06.16)

Ashish Sharma who stars in the hit show Siya Ke Ram which airs in starplus. He has had a complete transformation not only that he is celebrating the fact that the show has been into 200 eps.I still remember talking to him when the show was about to launch.Now we are in 200 eps, here he is again.Ashish Sharma joins me live on the radio.

Hello welcome back to drive time. How are you?

I am very good Raj.Good to speak to you back again

When I first spoke to you , the show was just about to launch. Now 200 eps in.The show has been going great. How has the experience been for you?

It's been tremendous, it's been excruciating yet it's being wonderful , like every time u learn a lot, explore so many things but yes on the whole it's been tremendous. Specially for the love that I have got for this role.

Ashish, like I said your image has undergone complete transformation, your hair, your body, the way you look everything has changed, Offcourse to get into the character of the show. So it's a lot of hardwork, not just the delivery of the dialogue and what you are saying in the image portrayal as well

I think the whole handwork the physical transformation and voice modulation are all very technical part and are all mechanics, which you learn while you learn acting. They just come naturally, you can work on, but to get to psyche of the character...I always insist on this ,to get the psyche is the most difficult part and specially... from what I portrayed before this and portraying this is a completely, drastically different from that, so yes and specially if you play somebody like Ram in India, you know he is so deeply into our roots, completely , our culture derives so much from him, so you need to be absolutely correct with that, you cannot default anywhere, there is no scope for errors, yes that was absolutely difficult but little hard work and dedication gets you there

Playing a role like Lord Ram.There is a lot of pressure as well. Because you have to play it correctly, you have to say things right As an actor what was the most challenging part for you?

The most challenging part has been that it comes with lots of responsibility. One shouldn't affect people's faith, they shouldn't get hurt because people believe so deeply in Ram.So that is the most difficult part to take care of that and see, a difficult part for any actor who plays Ram is that you can't express and yet you have to express everything. That's the most difficult part to get right.

Would you say that your life has been changed since you been playing the character? Have people come up to you and treat you any different to what you are playing in the show?

Yes, yes absolutely. I think that comes along with playing any Mythological Character related to God. Yes people's perception towards me changes, they react to you completely changes. Earlier they used to greet you, they used to be excited to meet you, but now they have that look on their face, it's like very devotional thing that you see in them. So it's is different and weird to me but, I don't know how to handle it, when they come and they just approach you in a way which is different. It just gives you goose bumps when you meet all these people but still time you learn to handle it.

Once I was talking to an MB actor he said the same and you are saying the same thing people have that perception that the character played and the actor is the same. It's good thing but it's sometimes misleading as well?

Yes, specially you have take care of their feelings. when they approach you with that sort of feelings you need to take care of their feelings. you should treat them right you should speak to them nicely because, it's not that the actor that they are meeting but the character they see onscreen. They have that image in their head. That's what they have come to see. You need to maintain that thin line, but yes with time it comes.

Questions from the fans.Need to tell you there are so many questions, we just mention your name and so many questions come.

(Laughing)

Question from Roop. what emotions are going through you as an actor when you play Ram?

This is Roop right.Thank you Roop for the question first of all.There's lot of things that run in your head but at the end of the day you need to clear your mind, you need to be absolutely cluster free in your head, that is the only mental situation or mental status where you can portray somebody like Ram because he is absolutely clear in his head, so I have to be cluster free, peaceful from within when I am performing. So that's what I feel, nothing more nothing less

Team Ashishians are asking how easy or how difficult that this journey 200 eps has been and what is the most memorable sequence for you?

Team Ashishians thank you so much. Yes it has been tremendous journey. I think after the Sagars Ramayan, this is the Ramayana that people have actually looked upto and it's actually a huge feat in itself .Because to break or even to remodel that approach of people/audience belief is a huge task because lots of people have tried Ramayan after that, has not been able to do that.Since "Siya Ke Ram" has been able to modify that approach or that belief in some little way it has, is a huge feat and it has been a tremendous journey for me. I have seen so many people coming up to me and telling me that "after Mr.Arul Govil , we look upto you as Ram".If I am able to create that sort of a little bit of impact with myself...they don't see me and see Ram there, then it's tremendous.

What's the most memorable sequence for you?

So many of them, one of them definitely the swayamvar sequence because we shot in very excruciating situations, long hours of shoot, the whole impact was such. I think swayamvar was one of my favorites, then...lot of, lot of.. I think that is the best.

What do u like about playing Ram, what makes you angry or upset?

Well, while I am playing Ram nothing actually makes me angry or upset other than being unprofessional. That's the only thing that upsets me, if you are unprofessional but other than that..cool

Does playing Lord Ram change your characteristics in any way because Lord Ram is very kind of humble, sensitive and quiet character person? Tell us how does that make you feel as an actor what it has changed inside you?

Every character ever being you play leaves certain amount of that character in you as an actor. So yes every character that you play changes something in you .This definitely has made me more polite which I already was, I don't know where I will go from here. It has made me, I would say hmm...I introspect a lot now, before saying things. so that, I shouldn't hurt other people's feelings through whatever comes out of my mouth. It has made me more patient I suppose

Pree is asking have u reduced your exercise hours post Sita Haran to give that slim look. Are u working on your body less, lately. Going to change the physical way?

ha.. ha .. It's a funny question, but yes a relevant question as well .See what I try as an actor, I try to portray my mental condition and the physical condition the way it is, the way it is supposed to be, So I try..but in television you don't get that much time to prepare, so you have little time to prepare to do all this physical modulations. I try... vanvas is difficult and it has different stages so you will see different body structures in different stages of Ram, that's what I try to do.But don't know if I am succeeding in it or not, because of the time crunch. Yes it is deliberate and you will see different, different things at different stages.

Pree is asking with whom do you spend most the time on sets apart from Karan?

Actually, nobody. Only we two shoot together these days so nobody else (laughs)

Ria asks, do you know all the fans of SKR call ourselves wanar sena?

Yes, I am aware of that and I absolutely love that.

Amanda asks what's your favorite pass time on the sets of SKR?

It's reading. I read a lot. That's the only thing we get to do. we hardly get time to pass, but if we get any, I read.

Priyanka is asking, hope your back doesn't hurt you now.Do u have back issues doing this show?

I have lot of issues, my whole body is injured, I have learnt to live with it. Not a day goes by when I am not feeling any pain.The days I don't feel pain, I feel uncomfortable and I feel weird "today something is wrong with me, I am not feeling any pain". So it's alright, I have learn to live with it. It's ok.

Arab Ashishians are asking what kind of scenes are the most demanding for you?

I think the scenes where I need to be absolutely composite and not emote at all. Those are the scenes which are demanding because, where you need to connect with the audience with emotions yet you cannot show any emotion on your face.I think those are the most demanding scenes.

Sweta is asking "you said we will see a different you in naya adhyay , are we going to see a change of costumes as well ,a new look to your character" ?

Look cannot change. I think, Ram's look is a very calendar look, it cannot change.As per the calendar look we have to go and the look is written in the books. It's described in Ramayan so you cannot change that you have to play along with it. We have taken little liberty to show the impact of vanvas when the bun actually is loose , but then it will again come back to the same bun because we cannot go away from the traditional look of Ram that much. Just to leave a little impact we have tried to improvise it a little bit. That's it

Question from AshishsharmaFC , what changes do you see in yourself in this journey from Ep 25 to 200 up until now ?

Oh! I see a lot of changes. I think the best one I have seen in myself is that I have become a family man. I already was but, it has kind of connected me with my family, with my parents a lot.When you portray these things everyday, when you are portraying same emotions everyday, it's strikes you somewhere in the end in your heart. That's what has happened. I have become more close to my family.

Doing a show 7 days a week will take toll on actors but doing emotional scenes might take a toll on you. How do you manage to do so many kind of emotional scenes, how does it affect you as a person when you come switching off from the show?

It affects you because; psychologically it completely effects you as an actor. we were trained to switch-on and switch-off in our classes which we did. So that's where the training comes in handy. You know how to switch on and off. You device your own thing. I usually use music as my device.when I have to get into the mood I play songs according to mood, when I have to get out of it, I listen to something peppy to completely change the state of my mind, I am in that point of time.So yes music helps me a lot.

Maria from Hyderabad is asking,"since you have been staying for so long in Hyderabad. Have you had any offers of movies or any other kind of work in south? Would you like to take any of them up?

You have answered yourself.7 days a week in a year. How can you do anything else .I have no time to do anything at all. Nothing till SKR is on air.

What about future. Would you like something that you would take up in the south?

Oh! I would love to. I have met couple of technicians here because we keep shooting here in Ramoji .I have had lot of amusing conversations with them. Yes,I would love to.I have always been a fan of south cinema.Film makers here are completely way ahead of times.why not?

We have heard that show will be shot all across India.Is there any plans of shooting other than Darjeeling, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Any other place they going to be shooting in India?

We wanted to go and shoot in Ooty, couple of days ago for Ram and Hanuman Milan, but because of rains we couldn't go there. Yes for special sequences we try to go out, in future also if something comes up, we are still looking out for different locations. If it happens it happens.

We talked about responsibility involved in playing Ram. Neelum is asking, would you like to be involved in Ram and his teachings if there is some kind of discussions or some kind of talk going on, would you go and give some kind of talk on Lord Ram?

No absolutely not. I am happy with portraying it. I am an actor; I will stick to onscreen portrayal of Ram and nothing more than that.

Maya is asking. Are we going to see you in Luv Kush episodes till Sita Bhoomi pravesh in SKR?

As far as we know the story right now, uttar Ramayan is in the pipeline and it is going to happen.But you know, I cannot say it's too far stretched. But as far as I know, when I sighed the show the whole story was locked. As far as I know yes we are going to do the Ramayan which is about the Luv and Kush. Let's hope so, it happens.

You are saying this phase would be of 150 episodes as it is a finite series isn't it ?

Ya, yes about that still left

Question from Anandi, she loves Rudra, Now Ram a different character you are playing. what you are like in real,I mean intensity wise Rudra or Ram ?

They both came out of me,I think I am an amalgamation of both of them.

Can you say a favorite scene of SKR?

Couple of sequences. One was when kaikayi asks me for vanvas and I say "bas itni si baat maa".I think it was one of the fantastic moments, I have played there.Again when I get to hear my father's (Dashrat's) death news when everybody comes there.These two sequences have really really been special.

Course of doing a show like SKR, it's quiet serious isn't it? How much fun do you have in the sets of the show? Do you get much time to do any of them?

No, not actually because most of the times the environment and the whole ambiance of the show is different there. We stick to our work here because show requires that. The environment and ambiance of the show is eased out .But not in a excitedly funny masti majaak zone.

Ashish before I continue, to think about you one thing I love about getting you in the radio is that,I can ask you a million question and you be fine with that and you kind of always get it in time, because your answer is so like to the point. Thank you very much for that.

Now a quick Rapid fire from your fans.

What's the name of your favorite romantic novel, if you have recently?

Recently? Recently no. But all time favorite would be Charulatha

One world to describe Ashish Sharma?

Student.

A role that you would like to do if you are given a chance.Any kind of role may be a Hollywood or Bollywood role ?

Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption

What should be the Title of the book if it's written on you?

OMG ha..ha.. hmmm...it's a difficult one.but I would say...hmmm...

Very difficult ya.It's not a rapid fire,I need to think for it.(laughs)

What is one thing that turns off Ashish, one thing you detest?

Fakeness and unprofessionalism completely

How did you find this rapid fire? That's the question from the fans (laughs)

Aaa... it's nice(Laughs)

Ashish you know it has been wonderful having you here.Let's celebrate the fact it's 200 eps of the show of SKR.Well done to you .I remember when it first started, we spoke about it the, I knew it was going to be a success but the success that it has seen in the ratings has been brilliant. Congratulations on that and to the team of SKR.Do u have any message for the fans out there.

Thank you so much everybody specially for everybody who has sent in the questions. Thank you so much for your questions. It's always a pleasure to answer all your questions.Me and Raj always try to accommodate as many questions as possible, in the small amount of time but yes thank you some much to all the fans and specially to all the Arabic and Turkish fans, I think you kind of feel that I don't love you, but I love all my fans equally. Thank you so much for all your love, sending me so much of love and for accepting me as Ram.Thank you so much.

Ashish so glad you said that because at the moment while we are talking there are so many retweets coming in from all the Arab fans and also your fans everywhere. Fans from Pakistan, Srilanka, Malasiya, Turkey, Algeria , US, offcourse UK, Singapore around the world there are so many of them.Lots of love from all of them to you.

Thank u so much

Ashish before you leave quickly, have you ever thought it ,I am sure you must be getting lots of offers for shows and producers. Have you been in right frame of mind to think about it on future projects?

No, I haven't thought about it as in right now

Thank you so much, we will catch you very soon and wish you all the best for SKR. Ashish look after yourself I will catch you soon.

Thank you so much Raj.