Rushiraj Pawar worships Lord Kartikeya before slipping into his character in Mahadev

Teenager Rushiraj Pawar, who played the young Chandragupta Maurya in Imagine TV’s Chandragupta Maurya, is now playing Lord Kartikeya in Life OK’s Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev (Triangle Films Company). This intelligent 15-year-old boy worships Lord Kartikeya on a daily basis before getting into playing the role. “That is the formula I follow to get into the character. It’s an honour to play Lord Kartikeya; in fact, I enjoy playing this God especially while doing the fight sequences,” he explains. Regarding his costume, hairdressing and makeup this lad avers, “As Kartikeya is the Lord of War, he wears a red and yellow costume with golden ornaments. He is not too fair and is a tough guy, so he has been given a wheatish makeup. His mane is curly and wavy.” Rushiraj is full of praise for Lord Kartikeya. “He is popular throughout India especially in South India where he is referred to as Subrahmanya and Murugan too. He is a focused, strict and disciplined God. He has lots of shades. Though the adolescent Kartikeya is an angry young boy on the show, he is also very obedient,” he maintains. Currently, Ganesha and Kartikeya are into fights. What is his take on that? “They actually have different personalities. While Kartikeya believes in physical energy, Ganesha believes in a mental one. Kartikeya always loved his dear brother. The rivalry between the two brothers erupted just because he felt that his family loved Ganesha more than him and that hurt him. This jealousy is but natural,” he reasons. Rushiraj is full of praise for his co-star Sadhil Kapoor, who plays Lord Ganesha. “He is a cute boy and a good actor. We all pull his cheeks. He is also very naughty and plays pranks on the sets.” When asked as to why the Indian youth often stay away from watching mythological shows, he replies, “They are used to watching mainstream serials on TV. They don’t know about India’s history, our cultural heritage and Gods.” Rushiraj is currently in class X and is appearing for his exams privately. “I study for 15 days in a month and shoot for the other 15 days,” he quips. When he grows up, he wants to become an actor. “Acting is my passion. I believe that your passion should become your profession,” he observes. In his free time, Rushiraj pursues horse riding, dancing, watches films and swims. “I like any kind of dance that makes me happy. I, for one, like Western, Bollywood and folk dance. I prefer to watch old movies, comedies and suspense and action films.”