Talking point

Of course,it is good to be back. I am happier because I waited long enough for the right script to come my way. It is nice to be facing the camera and being praised for those shots. I am already working 12 hours. But it is less than the work hours I used to put in previously.

What made you take up the role in Rang Badalti Odhni?

This role is very different from what I have done earlier. For the first time,I have been offered a rustic character who sports traditional attire. Also,the role was that of a man who believes in being happy and making other people of his village happy. I provide comic relief on the show.

The soap has been going on for a while now. Was it easy to fit into the scheme of things?

Although I haven’t been following it,it was easy to fit in. My director narrated the story to me and told me what is required of me. It is a mark of a good actor to fit into any circumstance you are thrown into.

Over the years has it become difficult to find roles that fit your stature?

It definitely has. There are certain roles I wouldn’t want to do because I have already done similar ones. There are also budget constraints. My name comes with a certain budget attached to it. Sometimes the producers find it difficult to take me in the show and then earn profit too.

You garnered a lot of adulation as Pratham Mittal in Kutumb and then Karan Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thii. Do you miss those days of mass popularity?

My fans do not allow me to miss that popularity. They still send me messages and mails,and ask me to return to television. So it feels nice that there are still people who believe in my talent. But talking about those days,even at the peak of my popularity,I knew that it wouldn’t last forever. So when it ended,I was prepared for it.

Would you do a show with Balaji again?

Definitely. It is not like I had a fallout with them. I will do a show for them if they offer me something different and interesting.

Many of your contemporaries such as Shweta Tiwari,Hussain Kuwajerwala and Gaurav Chopra have taken to reality shows. What about you?

I don’t really enjoy reality shows. And I feel most of them deal with the same content.

You have acted in a few movies in between. Are you considering more such offers?

I am considering films,but then again only if something substantial comes my way.

How’s the restaurant business shaping up?

It is going good.

Has it become difficult to balance the two professions now?

Gauri (his wife) looks after the restaurant business now since I am busy with this project. But I make time to go there every now and then.