Daily soaps can be quite boring: Abhishek Rawat

One of the new shows that has caught everyone's attention and is the topic of discussion is Zee's Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo. The show which has seen success purely on the strength of its story and characters is witnessing skyrocketing TRPs. The show has very few big names and a number of fresh faces, and the freshness of its cast is one of the major reasons behind its success. TellyChakkar caught up with Abhishek Rawat who plays the role of Shekhar in his first candid tete-e-tete with the media: Tell us something about your background. I am originally from Uttaranchal and come from a services background. My father was with the Army, so you can imagine how many transfers we had to undergo. I have roamed around the entire country during my student life. That was quite an experience. After completing my graduation, I opted for an MBA and started my professional career in Delhi working for media firms. But I always wanted to be connected to the glamour world, so I came to Mumbai in 2004 and started working for Synergy Adlabs. And gradually came into acting. Are you married? Oh yes! I am a happily married man! My wife Anjali Menon and I were childhood friends, so in a way it was puppy love. Our fathers were from the Army and both of them were posted at the same camp for a long time. That is where we came to know each other first and attended school together. But as happens with such Army postings, we lost touch when our fathers were posted at different camps. But Cupid decided to intervene and we met again during our MBA entrance exams. As luck would have it, both of us got admitted to B school. She is currently working as a freelancer in the creative field. How did you get your first break in acting? As I mentioned, though I had a nice job in a renowned media firm, I was not entirely happy. I was slightly confused because on one hand I had a good job and on the other hand I wanted to try my luck in acting, which had a lot of uncertainty associated with it. But since I was already working with Synergy Adlabs, I had gained some knowledge about the industry and decided to take the plunge. I started off with advertisements and did quite a few including big brands like Thums Up, Maaza, Bajaj Allianz, Nivea, Citibank, etc. I started giving auditions for films and television was not my first preference. But slowly my interests changed. But why were you not interested in television? Was it because you wanted to see yourself on the big screen? It is not that I was not interested. I was doing modelling assignments and enjoying them. I moved on to television after that and Neelanjana was my first show, though it was a cameo role. Then I got a good break in Babul Ka Aangann where I played a negative role (Mahem). But then again I started getting bored of television shows and started to lose interest. I realised that daily soaps can be quite boring; you have the same scenes everyday with the same camera angles and the same actors. It really became monotonous for me. You seem to be happy with Agle Janam.. It is a daily soap as well. How is it different from the rest? Well (smiles) it is different. Vastly different from the other shows I have worked in. When someone told me that Swastik Pictures was auditioning for Shekhar's role in a new serial, I was little reluctant to go for it. But after deciding to go for the auditions, when I reached the venue and came to know about this show I was really impressed. After listening to the story, all I wanted to do was to work in the serial. I realised that though this is a daily soap, the presentation, making and most importantly, the story is very different from the rest of the pack. I got selected and there was no looking back. I immediately said Yes. Working with so many talented veterans like Sudesh Berry, Rupa Ganguly and Sushmita Mukherjee is in itself a great learning experience. Any newcomer would dream to be in such a show. Are you happy with the way your character has evolved? Yes, I am quite happy with the way my track has progressed. I am very satisfied. Shekhar's character is one of the most important characters in the show and he plays an important role in Laali's life. And now that Laali is back in the haveli, there will be more twists and turns in the story. What are your plans for the future? I am eagerly waiting for my first Bollywood break in Nagesh Kuknoor's Yeh Hausla. I have played a character with grey shades. Sameera Reddy, Tanvi Azmi, Karan Nath and Anoop Soni are my co-stars in the film. I am very optimistic about this movie and it can change my career completely. Am praying that something good happens with it.