‘DON’T WANT TO BE ALL OVER THE PLACE’

Actor Kushal Tandon says he is not hungry for fame, wants to be remembered for good work

Sangeeta Yadav

His social media profile is loaded with fitness and travel pictures, which consumes most of Kushal Tandon’s time. On the work front, the actor seems to be taking it slow and choosing his projects consciously.

The 34-year-old, who shot to fame for TV shows Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai and Beyhadh, is busy learning a new martial arts form, Tiger Muay Thai, and is gearing up for his next web series. Excerpts from an interview:

After Beyhadh wrapped up in 2017, you didn’t take up any other project on TV for almost two years. Why was that? become very monotonous. But I thoroughly enjoyed my last web series Hum — I’m Because of Us. I was also working on my new restaurant that’s opening up next month in Mumbai. It’s my dream project.

Do you feel the pressure of being visible to get more work? There’s no pressure to be visible all the time, and there is no hunger for fame. There’s no insecurity of not being seen for a year either. I don’t want to take up anything for the sake of being there and earning money. I don’t want to be all over the place. I want to do good work and be remembered for that. I’m in a comfort zone where I can choose what I really want to do.

Were there also film offers that came your way?

Yes, but nothing was worth making my Bollywood debut with. It was more like a cameo and I want to do a full-fledged, intense role.

You’re now training in a different martial arts form. How did that happen?

I’m not doing this to fit into the industry. I just wanted to learn something new, adapt to a new culture, and train with the best experts. I went to Thailand for two months to get trained in Tiger Muay Thai. So, it’s not about building a body to get into the industry; it’s about strengthening your inner core and endurance.

What else is there in the pipeline? I’ll start shooting for a web series next month. It’ll have three seasons but I can’t reveal much as we’re at a nascent stage. There’s another web series with fewer episodes. Then I’m also planning to start my production house and create content for the web.