If you cannot appreciate someone, at least don't put them down by unwanted comparisons: Arav Chowdharry

Star Plus’ magnum opus show Mahabharat (Swastik Productions) has been doing wonderfully well and what really catches the attention of the TV watching audience is the perfect portrayal of each and every character by the talented ensemble cast. And recently a leading newspaper’s online site put up a story on Arav Chowdharry who plays Bheeshm saying that he was copying Mukesh Khanna, who had earlier essayed the same character in the B R Chopra produced Mahabharat. We called up the good looking Arav who seemed least bothered about the report as he averred, “I work for my passion of acting and also for my fans who lovingly call themselves Aravians. Such kinds of reports do not affect my performance and their love for me. Thus I will not want to give such kind of reports any importance.” “Firstly I don’t know how one can think about comparing me with Mukesh Khanna. We are both actors and are portraying the same character, that’s it; there is just no room for any comparison. I believe in doing my work my way and leave the rest for my viewers to decide. I feel glad that when aged people who have seen the earlier Mahabharat also come up to me to say they enjoy watching me as Bheesm more,” added the actor. The actor who has won much acclaim for his acting and physique further shared, “From day one I have been playing Bheesm and his transition from a young man to this 200-year old man. The earlier Mahabharat had an old man playing this role while mine is a contemporary one.” “Bheesm was the strongest warrior ever who could stand alone against the 100 Kauravas. And since he was the one who also won against Parshuram, thus that strength had to be shown in him. If you check out the physique of all actors in the show, I can confidently say that I have one of the best bodies among them all,” maintained Arav. So what makes him work so hard for his character? “I feel there are very few actors in the industry who work so hard and I can proudly say that I am one of them. From my long and hard shooting schedule, I still manage to take my time out for regular workouts. And even with just a couple of hours of sleep, I have been able to maintain the same physique throughout,” quipped the actor. And finally we asked Arav as to how he feels about such stories that mark a sad part in an actor’s life. He replied, “It’s really sad that people do not leave a chance to belittle actors. I also believe that if you cannot appreciate or acknowledge someone, you should also not put them down by unwanted comparisons. An actor puts in so much of creative efforts to satisfy his character’s need. And this kind of talk is the last thing they would ask for in their lives.” “We are here just acting a character. Tell me has anyone ever met the real Bheesm to pin point any similarity? That would have been a fact then. And anyways this character is also not owned by anyone. Tomorrow someone else will play this character, but you just can’t go about comparing every other actor. Even Amitabh Bachchan has given the voiceover for the animated film on Mahabharat, so will the next comparison be with him?” questioned Arav. Well Arav, keep working, for honest efforts always pays off!