MOHIT ABROl is the newest actor to join the lead cast of popular TV show Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi. PRAKRITI ROY catches up with him to know about the challenges of stepping into the shoes of a second lead on an established show
This is your first role in second lead. How is it different from previous rolesIJ
You get more attention on the sets and everywhere else too. But there is a lot more workload and effort required of me now.
Tell us about your character Nirbhay on the show.
Nirbhay has a rustic, Haryanvi background. He has a very rude tone of speaking. The accent and Haryanvi phrases are something I really had to work on. He is an orphan who lost his family at a young age but has managed to become a rich sugarcane baron. But the crassness hasn't left him.
How does he fit in with the rest of the charactersIJ
Actually, he is the odd one out. His wife’s educated family stay with him but only because they need his money. He is a misfit among them.
You’ve did Razia Sultan before this. How is acting in a drama-based soap differentIJ
The experience with Razia Sultan was amazing. There were fight sequences, elaborate sets and costumes, horse-riding etc. We spoke mostly in Urdu and it was more about the physical language than body language. With this role, I am more comfortable, especially because I can stay in Mumbai and shoot.
How do you approach your charactersIJ
I feel that whenever you approach a character you have to play on screen, you have to be the character. For the role of Nazir, I had historical references to follow. But in a purely fictional show, you have to work on it on your own and with your director.
A lot of TV shows start off as something and end up being different. What do you have to say about thatIJ
Yes, going off-track happens. But you have to remember that a daily soap is being shot every day. It is only before the show goes on air that you get leisure to shoot perfectly. later, the detailing goes for a toss. So daily soap are definitely different from films.
What would you say to the concept of seasons or finite series in IndiaIJ
I would say that it would be a very good thing. There is a lot of difference in the way actors perform on daily soap and how they perform for a limited series. This phenomenon is present in the West and you can actually see the difference in the way their actors perform because they get the opportunity to do a lot of rehearsals. Here, for daily soap, we have to do it on the spot.
What’s it like being on a BalajiIJ
Balaji is literally the boss on TV! I feel really lucky to have got this role. Balaji has done the best work on TV till now. The evolution we have seen on TV is because of Ekta. The difference with other production houses is that here people are more professional, probably because they have more experience in the field.