‘People ask why I do character roles on web instead of playing lead’
He has acted and hosted numerous TV shows, done a few films and music videos, but for Karan Wahi what seems to have worked the most are web shows. Last year, he anchored Dance India Dance season 7, then he shot for two web shows and now, he is excited that things are materialising in the “right manner”.
“People think if you are not doing hardcore TV, then you aren’t doing anything. But working on the web is what I wanted to do. However, more than just web shows, I have always wanted to be a part of finite stories. I have done longlasting TV shows too and enjoyed them but with time, I wanted stories from start-tofinish. The web has given actors good opportunities to showcase their talent as not all of us will be doing five films a year”, says Karan.
Initially, we had films and TV, and while the former was about larger-than-life stories, TV was about longevity. But for Karan, the web has given entertainment a greater dimension. He points out, “It is also a good leveller for actors, as you have to give in a slot before a show starts unlike a TV show, where things often happen at the last stage and we shoot the next day. But there are disadvantages too. With so many online platforms, people might end up doing anything, which could lead to a mistake in their career paths. More options means more confusion.”
Karan has been a part of two movies Daawat-e-Ishq (2014) and Hate Story 4 (2018), while a movie he shot for as lead got stalled. Ask him if movies are a no-no for him today, and he replies, “That is never the case. Sometimes, I like a script but it doesn’t work out. Other times, I don’t like a script that is offered to me. Maybe, I haven’t cracked it in films yet. There is no shame in that. There is no bad blood or a thought that I won’t do films at all. If I get something that excites me, I will take it up. At times, people ask me why I am doing character roles in web shows instead of lead roles. I simply tell them that I take them up because the roles give me satisfaction as an actor. They work for me.”