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In the last couple of months, Benjamin Gilani has been away from the small screen. "For a while I have been just sitting on my backside doing absolutely nothing," he says.
He was last seen prominently as hotel magnate Govind Sahai in the Star One weekly Hotel Kingston "till it was just pulled off the air." And then he featured in a story of Darna Mana Hai on Star One and as the maharaja of Cuttack in the historical Prithviraj Chauhan on Star Plus "but currently, I am missing from the show due to a change in track," he says.
Old friends
But now after a short hiatus, he is back in the scheme of things with Sony daily Aisa Des Hai Mera. As Madan Khurana, he plays the long-lost friend of Randhir Singh (Kanwaljeet) and father of Samay (Gaurav Chopraa) in the show.
What's interesting is that off-screen too, both Gilani and Kanwaljeet go a long way back. "We were together at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Kanwaljeet was my senior by a year. In fact, we've acted on television together before; our first outing together was for a pilot shoot years ago in Lucknow. The last show we did together was Naam Gum Jayega on Sony. Though over the years we may not have been in touch, Aisa… has given me a chance to bond again with Kanwaljeet."
Vital role
In Aisa..., Gilani has been shown wheelchair-bound. "He has an important role in the show. He will be introduced next week onwards. The track will focus on him and his bonding with the other characters. Krittika Desai is also part of the show. She plays his wife's role," says Manish Goswami of Siddhant Cinevision, producer of Aisa Desa Hai Mera.
At the moment, Gilani is only doing Aisa... and nothing on the big screen front. Incidentally, he had played a great role in setting up Naseeruddin Shah's Motley theatre troupe.
"But for over a decade, he has not stepped on the stage. All these years I was acting in films and television. Now I don't think I can manage the rehearsals and commuting part. I stay in Malad, the rehearsals could be in Bandra and the play may be at Nairman Point. That's why I preferred to be away from theatre," says Gilani. |
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