While portraying Abhay, I try to keep myself in a serious mood

•    How does it feel to be associated with Sony SAB’s Ziddi Dil Maane Na?

•    To me, Sony SAB is like my second family, and it is one of my favourite channels to work with as it’s the only channel that caters to every generation and has shows that are a great blend of different genres. It's a great opportunity and being back to the sets feels like a homecoming. Working with Ziddi Dil - Maane Na’s team has been excellent, and this show is helping me expand my horizon as an artiste and brush up on my theatre skills and get better with each passing episode.

•    Tell us something about your character Abhay. What makes your character stand out? 

•    Abhay is a controlling husband and always wants Koel to live her life on his terms and conditions. He has anger management issues and exploits his wife, Koel, and his entry to the show has taken the viewers on an emotional ride. However, Abhay portrays a very different side in front of his child Nikhil and has come to the Parakram SAF with a motive. He is adamant and will do whatever it takes to fulfil his wishes. It will be interesting for the viewers to watch how Koel will fight her battle and make Abhay’s every little move a big failure. 
•    What made you choose this character and the show?

•    I think it was definitely the other way round as I firmly believe that the show and the character chose me. Abhay allowed me to portray a character on television that is out and out negative and filled with flaws. As an artiste, you always want to work on challenging projects and allow you to strengthen your skills and delve more into them. While portraying Abhay, I try to keep myself in a serious mood and not engage in any masti-mazaak on the set to stay in the skin of my character. I consider this a rare opportunity as Abhay is a very complex character, and I will thank the makers for bestowing their trust in me and allowing me to perform something that I have never attempted to do on television before.  

•    What appealed to you the most about Ziddi Dil Maane Na? What are your thoughts on the show’s concept?

•    The concept of the show is really very refreshing, and I feel that I have an inclination towards stories based on the military. This is because I have immense respect for our armed forces, and I feel lucky to be associated with a show that talks about cadets who are “Ziddi” by heart and have fought their battles and have joined the Parakram SAF to fulfil their dreams. Every character of the show has a different struggle, is immense and with such characters that look like one of us is very endearing and believable. This show is loved by its audiences through its refreshing approach and realness. With Koel’s battle, I really hope that the people out there who have faced such a situation or are facing domestic violence get the courage to stand up and raise their voices, as I think it’s the need of the hour. 

•    How are you preparing for this role?

•    A character like Abhay would ideally require a rigorous amount of workshops and a reasonable amount of time to get into the skin of the character. Unfortunately, we usually don’t get that kind of liberty with television as the format is very fast-paced, and you get little time to prepare for it. I didn’t get much time to prepare for the character, and portraying Abhay on television in a way that looks real and convincing was a challenge. Though I am a completely different person, in reality, to get into the skin of my character, I closely studied past performances and spoke to other artistes who have played similar characters in the past. In addition, I consulted my mentor Barry John and took his expertise on how I should approach this role. I would take this opportunity to thank the makers and the director sir, for always guiding me through this journey and helping me with every little detail that would make this character look absolutely so real on-screen.

•    How has been your experience shooting for the show so far? And did you get a chance to meet and bond with the other cast members of the show? 

•    The experience of shooting with the entire cast and crew has been fabulous. My new family is very welcoming, supportive and all of us instantly clicked. I have known Simple for many years now and having an opportunity to work with her feels excellent. We are a bunch of hard-working people, and it's always good to work with a team that is so dedicated to their work and have put their best foot forward to make this entire track bring a difference to the society at large and create awareness around such a critical.

•    Any message for your fans? 

•    I will take this opportunity to thank my fans for continuously showering me with their immense love and support. I can promise that Ziddi Dil - Maane Na will be a roller-coaster ride of emotions. So, stay tuned and get onto this amazing journey with us!