Manish is game for a cameo

Manish is game for a cameo

Reena Thapar Kapoor

The actor who has been missing from the social circuit for the past few months is now back. After Nach Baliye things have started looking up for Manish Goel. However, even as offers from big production houses kept coming, Manish chose to wait for that one big role instead. The actor has been working hard at the gym and the results are indeed visible.

In the past, it was Balaji's prime time show Kasautii Zindagi Kay that made the audience notice Manish. His character Anupam was hugely talked bout. What made it special was that he was paired with his wife Poonam Narula and they were dating at the time.

When their tracks were over in the show, both Manish and Poonam bagged lead roles in Bhabhi and Kkusum respectively. However, four years later when the producer of Kasautii… revived their tracks in the show, the duo declined the offer. "There was no meat in it," says Manish. "Money is an issue that can be worked upon. But my top priority is the role. The half-baked character of Anupam in Kasautii… didn't interest me this time." Is that the reason his wife Poonam also turned down the offer? "The USP of Anupam and Nivedita in Kasautii was their chemistry. Poonam didn't wish to play Nivedita without me," he asserts.

Their decision to not be part of the show that catapulted them into stars must've affected Ekta Kapoor. "I messaged her why we couldn't do the show. But she didn't reply. I don't think Ekta is the kind of person who takes the professional decisions of the actors personally."

The show then roped in Smita Talwar and Hiten Paintal to play Nivedita and Anupam. However, now the buzz is that the production house isn't too happy with Smita and Hiten's on-screen chemistry and that Manish and Poonam will be bought back in the show.

"I did get a call from the production house. They said they were willing to re-work the characters. We're game to do a small cameo but playing second lead is a complete no-no," says Manish.

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