MUMBAI: The Coronavirus pandemic affected the TV industry in a bad way, while many shows went off-air, a lot of actors went jobless too during those days. But it's after-effects are no less. Akshit Sukhija-starrer "Shubharambh" is soon going off-air. The actor had tested positive for COVID-19 last month and feels this is one of the reasons that the show is wrapping up sooner than expected as the storyline had to be changed mid-way.
He said that they were about to shoot for a very interesting sequence in the show, but once he was diagnosed with the Coronavirus, the storyline had to be changed, which resulted in lower TRP ratings.
"The show is going off-air before Diwali, and we haven't wrapped up yet, we still need to shoot two-three more episodes. Our show was doing quite well before the Coronavirus pandemic hit us. After the lockdown, when we started shooting again, we couldn't get the desired TRPs. And this has happened with a lot of shows. Then when I tested positive for COVID-19, they had to change the whole storyline, which I personally liked, but I think people did not like it because they wanted to see Raja and Rani (Mahima Makwana's character) together. We had a good storyline planned too, but because of my COVID we had to change the whole track. And I guess that affected the show. Though we were already on the edge, things worsened after my sickness," he said.
"I was hopeful that we will be shooting for a month or two more, and it was quite surprising for me to wrap up this soon. We were hoping that we would get better TRP wise, but I am satisfied that we were able to air at least 175 episodes, and it's a big milestone. I am happy with this, but I just wish if the show could have run for six months or one year more, then it would have been great," Akshit added.
Talking about his on-screen chemistry with his co-star, he said, "Mahima and my chemistry definitely gave a kick to the show. It was a fresh and young pair, and people loved to see us together. Many people even told me that we look cute together, so I guess that worked in our favour."
His character Raja, too, was well-received by the audience. In fact, Raja was every girl's dream man. Akshit shared, "I got such good responses for my character Raja. Touchwood, I got 99 percent good and positive comments about my role. I was given the creative space to build my character, all thanks to my producers, and our channel Colors."
"If I compare Raja on the first day with that of the one after 180 episodes, I can actually see the difference. With Raja, even I have grown as an actor, and I enjoyed doing it. Raja had various moods, sometimes he would shout, sometimes he was romantic, but generally, he was very calm. I had a good time, I learned so many things. I am glad I did this show and played this character," he added.
But did you connect with Raja in any way? Akshit shared, "I would say there are some aspects of Raja which I can relate to and there are so many things that I can't. I think the things I can relate to are his calmness, loving nature, he is not aggressive, and that he is a family man."
What next? "I am upset that the show is ending, but at the same time, I am looking forward to exploring myself as an actor. I am open to everything, be it TV, web, or films. I honestly feel every show takes you on a new journey and it teaches you so many things. So I am ok with moving on in life and I am excited to open the next chapter."
"As of now, I haven't finalised anything, but I am hoping to work on some good content again. Though I would love to play a grey shade, I will accept a role if I am able to connect with it," Akshit concluded.
(Also Read: Akshit Sukhija on Shubharambh going off-air: The TRP reduced drastically and it was risky for the channel to continue)
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