TOI-Karan Mehra

Karan Mehra, who's become a household name as Naitik from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai , says he is in a happy space right now, what with a popular serial and a dance reality show to his name. In fact, he is certain that his audience will identify more with Naitik now that Karan has tried to infuse some of his own characteristics into him, to help the onscreen character seem more humble and noteceably happier than before.

At the same time, Karan says, that the entertainment industry is a tough place to be in. In a chat with TOI while on a promotional tour to Lucknow, Karan speaks about how he got over his fascination with Bollywood, and also how he is excited to participate in Nach Baliye, with his newlywed wife, Nisha.

Serials, the End Of An Actor?
Karan may be a fairly popular face on TV right now but he says that initially he never wanted to do serials. "I always wanted to do films, never serials," Karan says, adding, "I came to Mumbai with the mindset that 'serials karne se ek actor ki life khatam ho jati hai'. Also, it never helped that wherever I went for the auditions people used to say, 'tum toh movies ke liye hi baney ho!' But films aisey hi toh nahi milti hain na? Even now, it's very difficult for a newcomer to get a chance in Bollywood. Only established actors are doing well or those actors who have a filmi background."

Talking further about how TV happened to him, Karan says, "It took me four years to break that mindset and it happened only when I told myself that if I don't do something in this line, then I will have to go back. Then, Nisha suggested that I audition for serials. I signed my first show and waited eight months for it to happen. Ultimately, it didn't materialise. Then I waited another six months for Yeh Rishta... And now, if someone offers me a film, I won't do it because right now I am committed to Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai."

Fresh funda
Considering that these days the serials with the highest-paid actors are the ones garnering the lowest TRPs, we ask Karan to compare the relevance of a known and popular face to a serial's story line. He responds, "A popular face alone can't guarantee high TRPs of any show. The story has to maintain its freshness as well."

Which is precisely why Karan feels that becoming popular should not go to one's head. "I meet a lot of people during award ceremonies. One year they are feted, but woh log mujhe agle saal nahi dikhte..."