Jassi was the last show that did something new Kanwaljeet Singh

Whether it’s Buniyaad, Daraar, Saans, Andaaz, Family No 1 the face that comes to your mind the moment you think of these serials is that of Kanwaljeet Singh. He has not only played all the roles with élan and panache, but also aged with grace maintaining the same physique and looks. The handsome actor, who is married to pretty actress Anuradha Patel, is back in the small screen with a new serial Sabki Laadli Bebo on Star Plus. Tellychakkar spoke to Kanwaljeet on the occasion of the launch of his new serial. Excerpts from the interview: You are back on Star Plus after a decade. It has been 10 years since you did Saas. Well… it does not mean I was out of the radar. I did a show (Aisa Desh Hai Mera) for a different channel few years back. Time really flies – it is difficult to imagine that 10 years have passed by since I did Saas. (Smiles) Plus, now younger actors are ready to paint their hair white and do the roles that I can get. Why will producers select me? As a result, I started getting offers of playing grandfather and great grandfather in different serials. However, I declined all those offers because I felt I won’t be able to do justice to these roles. In this industry, how well you can ‘wait-and-watch’ and then take the right decision to do a particular show is very important. I have been following this principle and hope to have taken the right decision with Sabki Laadli Bebo. Tell us something about the story of Sabki Laadli Bebo. The story revolves around a little girl called Bebo who is born in a family where no girls are born. After a lot of puja and prayers and other difficulties, Almighty blesses them with a girl child – Bebo. She is loved by everyone in the family and the story is about her growing up. It also beautifully portrays the father-daughter relation. It is a story everybody can relate to. What made you decide in favour of this show? As I mentioned, I had been getting some offers earlier also, but I felt this was the right show. To me the character I have to play is of prime importance and then comes the financial part. I am playing Bebo’s father in the serial. Apart from the significance of this role in the serial, what made me decide in favour is a gut feel that I could do justice to this character. I always prefer powerful scripts. Do you watch any other shows on television? The pattern of serials seems to be changing with new themes and shows coming up. What do you feel about them? Where is the new concept that you are talking about? Where is a new show with a very original concept? Jassi was the last show that did something new, though the concept was borrowed from an American serial. But still it was new and immediately five other serials started working on the same concept. It happened with Saans also – the moment we did that, there was a retinue of other serials which started shooting on similar storylines. I don’t think there is any new concept floating around in the shows that are being telecast today. They are all rehashes of some successful serial or the other. For example, now that Sabki Laadli Bebo is being launched, there are two other shows based on similar concept that have also been launched. Your personal life has been out of bounds of the media. Your fans want to know about it. I have two sons – Siddharth and Aditya – both of whom are in their teens. We have also adopted an Afghani girl. Her name is Mariam and she is doing her Masters in San Diego. My elder son is a very talented music composer and I feel he may want to build a career in that. But I will never force them into a particular career. They are free to do what they want. You are known to be a workaholic when it comes to acting. Apart from acting, what is your passion? If I may say so, I am a tennis-aholic as well! I really love playing tennis. Unfortunately I have a knee problem which does not let me spend time on the courts. That is when I miss being young. I also love to travel a lot, last time we were all went to Egypt and Greece and it was one of my memorable trips.