KARAN TRIES HIS HAND AT COMEDY
His exit from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai raised many eyebrows, and then Karan Mehra hopped on to an unlikely show. His stint in Bigg Boss surprised the actor’s fans and close friends, but now, Karan is back to doing what he does best. His new fiction show, Khatmal-e-Ishque, where he plays the lead will see the actor taking a shot at comedy. Excerpts from a freewheeling chat:
Being a star, people expected you to make a comeback on a big channel, but you took a different route. Why?
This is my journey as an actor, not a celebrity or a star. When I started with Yeh Rishta… it was a new show, a new role. It wasn’t number one on the TRP charts, but did that make me not do the show? I’ve done one popular show on a popular channel for eight long years. As an actor, I wouldn’t want to restrict myself to one channel, or one kind of role. I would want to experiment working with different teams on different characters. Some shows on SAB TV like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma are more famous than any other show on a more popular channel. There’s nothing like a big and small channel, or a big and small actor. It’s the show that makes the channel and not the other way round.
How has the experience been so far? The team that I am working with is immensely experienced. Ashwni Dhir is a renowned producer, and has many respectable shows as well as movies behind him.
In the show, you’re shown flirting with another woman, despite being a married man. The character is very unlike your onscreen personality. Isn’t it risky as far as your ideal image is concerned?
About me being a married man in real life and yet playing a flirtatious character on screen feels like a question from the yesteryear! We’ve come a long way; real life and reel life are two absolutely different arenas of life. We’ve all heard of how famous chefs still love to eat food at home cooked by their wives. A sweeper isn’t necessarily a sweeper at home (laughs). The decisions I make to play a role on screen aren’t related to my personal life factors. If I keep playing a role that was similar to the last, how will I ever be able to prove my versatility as an actor?
Karan, you and your wife Nisha Rawal are expecting your first child. You must be eagerly looking forward to fatherhood and the new addition in your family…
Of course, it’s a great feeling to be a father, and that too for the first time. A new life coming into our lives will definitely add many more colours to our life. I’m enjoying my father-tobe phase and looking forward to cherish it.