Scam 2003 actor Gagan Dev Riar: ‘Hansal Mehta has filled the void of a father figure in my life’

Gagan Dev Riar added that he believes God gives everyone a chance where the gears are changed for the better. “This was my time. See, during Covid, the entire economy was affected. My issues were just a drop in the sea. I think everyone faced a financial crunch, went through tough times. Things improved and now after Scam 2003, it has only become better,” he said.

We wondered if Gagan went ahead and spent on something extravagant after the success of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. To this, he said, “Not at all. I am quite a simple man that way. I do not like fancy cars or vanity and I think the biggest purchase for me was my PS5. I could afford that finally. I love playing games so that was my only luxurious buy.”

Gagan Dev Riar in a still from Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. (Photo: PR)

Gagan Dev Riar had spoken about putting almost 20 kilos to play Abdul Karim Telgi. He shared that once the shoot was over, he was lucky to travel for the Monsoon Wedding play, where he got into a disciplined lifestyle and shed half the weight quickly. Given the actor had spoken about having given his all to this part, we wondered if he would be able to do this again in his career.

After a poignant pause, the actor replied, “These thoughts invade my mind and leave me worried. I am at an age where pulling off such a drastic weight gain or even loss is not easy. Also, not just physically, these things have a very huge impact on your mental being. It really took a toll on me during the filming. So I don’t know if I can give that again but if the role is really good, I would like to give it a try.”

On a final note, Gagan spoke about his relationship with Scam 2003: The Telgi Story creator Hansal Mehta. He said that having lost his father in 2010, there was a void of a father figure in his life. “Hansal came into my life at a very crucial point when major changes were happening in my life, personally and professionally. As a society, everyone was going through turmoil because of the pandemic. He suddenly became that father figure to me. I like taking his suggestions and the life choices I make, I want to run them through him. He is always there for me, and it’s not a forced bond. It happened organically and I can just soak up so much about life just being around him.”

Scam 2003 is streaming on SonyLIV.