Aman-Rohit: Whose call is it anyway?

Aman-Rohit: Whose call is it anyway?

Varma is peeved with Roy's continuous acting tips on the sets of Viraasat
Vickey Lalwani
vickey.lalwani@mid-day.com

Indian television is full of stories of misunderstandings and bad vibes between co-stars. Ravi Chopra's latest show Viraasat on Star Plus is no different. The two protagonists — Aman Varma and Rohit Roy are having problems.
Rohit Roy's tendency to direct the serials he acts in has caused problems in the past. HiTLIST reported this during Manish Goswami's Sarrkar on January 14. Now, according to our source on the sets, Roy is doing the same in Virasat, "Rohit tends to call the shots, and this irks the actors in the show, especially Aman."
Roy directs
The source elaborates, "Rohit's has a habit of telling his co-actors on how to act. Aman is a very senior actor, who knows his job. Plus there are two directors on the sets. So naturally, Aman does not like Rohit's frequent advice. There is a palpable under-current of tension between the two."
A unitwala says Rohit means well, "He has the habit of becoming a director on the sets. His advice and suggestions are sometimes praiseworthy, but then, most actors prefer advice and feedback from their director, not co-stars."
Rohit: Not guilty
So, do Sangita Ghosh and Amarr Upadhyay, too, have a problem with Rohit? "No. Sangita and Amar don't mind his suggestions, as they know Rohit from the early days. Aman and Rohit are working together for the first time."
When contacted, Rohit denied that he was vocal on the sets about his suggestions or difference of opinions related to the show. "How can I decide on how the scenes should be shot and how the actors should act in Viraasat which has a very able director in Siddharth? If you had asked me this for Sarrkkar, I would have said yes."
Different take
However Aman was forthcoming, he admits, "Everybody has his own way to approach a scene. Rohit has his own way and I have my own. Sometimes he thinks that his way is right and sometimes I think that I am right."
Elaborating on their different styles in acting, he said, "There are some actors in the show, like Rohit and Sangita, who like to do their scenes impromptu. For me, I need to know where my character is going and what my lines are. I like to rehearse four or five times before going for a take," explains Verma.
Jealousy creeps in
There is a certain element of jealousy between all the actors in Viraasat. They are constantly at loggerheads over screen space and best lines. But that's a given, considering the show has some of biggest names in television working under one roof. Aman admits to the one-upmanship, "That's bound to happen. Everyone wants to get the best portion of the pie, and that goes for me too. Why wouldn't I want the best for myself? Only after you are on the sets, you start realising who is getting the better portions. Then, insecurities creep in."