‘Playing the role of a ghost was difficult’

Be it the lovesick boy- nextdoor, or a manipulative womaniser—actor Vatsal Sheth (above) has played a variety of characters on-screen in his acting career spanning 20 years. However, the 36-year-old has never done a horror show. With the web series, Gehraiyaan, he finally got a chance to try his hand at the genre. Getting into the skin of his supernatural character was definitely not an easy task, says Vatsal.

“As an actor, you want to challenge yourself. So when this one came up [web series], I jumped at it because it was something I’ve never done before,” says Vatsal, whose acting journey began with the popular television show Just Mohabbat.

In the past, the actor always had a reference point for every role that he played — to prepare for his character. “But for the role of a ghost, there is absolutely no reference point,” he laughs, adding, “There are no definitions or set rules of how a ghost will be. From that perspective, it is one of the most difficult roles I have ever done. But the makers had given me a free hand. I could have been really wild if I wanted to. But I didn’t want it to be like that.”

Vatsal, who also acted in the film Tarzan: The Wonder Car (2004) alongside Ayesha Takia, adds that he isn’t averse to acting in any medium. “Everything has its own value, and everything is quite unique. As an actor, it doesn’t make a difference whether I am doing a film, or a TV series or an advertisement. Everything is interesting and I want to work everywhere,” he says.