‘ILOVE DARK ROLES’

Apurva Agnihotri, who has returned to TV after two years, wants to do good work and also have enough time to enjoy life, says he will be depressed otherwise

Everytime Apurva Agnihotri does a show or two, it seems he needs a two-year break to rejuvenate and return to the arclights. The Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin actor, who is playing a negative role in an ongoing TV show, is thrilled to be back on the tube after his last show Sau Bhagyalaxmi ended in 2016. “I love the unique storyline and my new show is not a regressive one. So that appealed to me. Moreover, my character is interesting and has several layers, so it is fun to play that. I wanted to do a negative role as I love dark roles because as an actor, there is not much to do on screen otherwise,” he says.

Apurva feels “blessed” to have good work coming his way. He and his wife, actor Shilpa Saklani, returned to TV this year with two different shows. “Shilpa and I are both chilled out and I swear, our first reaction when someone offers us work is to say no to it (laughs). We are both maha aalsi (very lazy). We are antisocial and sort of rebels. But this year, we decided not to go that way and felt that we need to work in life. Luckily, we got offers that worked for us and here we are. Every six months, I get five to six scripts and only one is substantial enough to be considered. You have to see if the money is good, if the role is edgy, and the passion of the producer. Everything has to fall into place, otherwise I don’t feel keen to take it up. If I just wanted to work for the heck of it, then I could have done every project that came my way, but I have never done that. I have always done few but good projects which have given me satisfaction as an actor,” he says.

Apurva is all praise for his co-star Harshad Chopda, and says that he has been wanting to work with him for a while now. “I am glad I got the chance to work with Harshad in this show. I had met him years ago and he reminds me of myself. I just love him. It is cool to shoot with him and we just connected.” Apurva’s next project is a digital series with Mona Singh, which will be produced by Ekta Kapoor.

In his free time, Apurva loves to paint, go on bike rides, and click pictures. He says, “I love solitude and enjoy my own space. I cherish the time away from studios and sets. I will get depressed if I were to only work. I want to be at that point in my career where I am doing good work and also getting enough time to enjoy the fruits of my labour. Shilpa and I have done every possible reality show and many TV shows too. I think, now is the right time for the both of us to maintain a balance, which is crucial for us.”

Shilpa and I are both chilled out and I swear, our first reaction when someone offers us work is to say no to it. APURVA AGNIHOTRI, ACTOR