I am back... hopefully as a better and trained actor: Raghav Juyal
ancer, actor, TV anchor, comedian, Raghav Juyal feels that he has finally arrived as a performer, “I started with a dance reality show and there was no looking back as I kept getting work and simultaneously, was doing films too. But something was missing. I felt I had to understand the art of acting too. I realised it was time to work on my acting skills and become a ‘real’ actor not just a filler.”
Hailing from Dehradun, Raghav was in his hometown for almost four months before work beckoned him back to Mumbai. “When the lockdown was announced, I decided to reach home and be with my family as I need them with me always. Once in Doon, I met up with childhood friends, and soon we were our old selves. What fun I had here.
“Initially there were no Covid-19 cases here, so we used to play football. I tried my hand at guava farming and relived my school days. It was during one of those fun football games that I fractured my knee ligament, so I had to undergo complete rest. Soon, I got a call for a shoot in Mumbai. Though my family was a bit apprehensive of me going back to Mumbai but I persuaded them as I feel I have ‘Pahadi’ immunity and that will keep me safe.”
Raghav believes that honesty and impulsiveness that has been inculcated in him since childhood has helped him always. “Yes, these traits have supported me throughout my journey. Though life and people in the industry have been kind to me and helped me but being a small town guy with no TV or film background was surely challenging. I have never shied from asking if I don’t know a thing, be it acting or dancing. That’s the reason I went ahead with acting training and film-making workshops in the last few years.
“I trained under acting coach Saurabh Sachdeva and did quite a few plays with him too. This I had to do to polish my craft and make a mark in acting too. Then I gave auditions and started clearing them at the first go. Now, I feel I am back in business, hopefully as a better and trained actor,” said Raghav who was seen in films like ‘ABCD 2,’ ‘Street Dancer 3D’ and ‘Nawabzaade.’
Talking about his upcoming projects, he said, “I completed a film ‘Bahut Hua Sammaan’, directed by Ashish Shukla, and with biggies like Sanjay Mishra, Swanand Kirkire and Ram Kapoor. Trust me, it was a truly learning experience for me.” ‘BHS’ was completely shot in Varanasi.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to play a dark character in one of my upcoming web series ‘Abhay-2’ directed by Ken Ghosh. It is an eight-part suspense thriller with each episode having a different villain and something different from what we have seen. I think the audience will enjoy it. It was a good experience and I got the chance to share the screen with senior artistes like Chunky Pandey, Kunal Khemu, Asha Negi and many more experienced actors,” Raghav concluded.