Entrepreneur-actor AASHISH CHAUDHARY is back on TV, this time as an edgy detective. He tells AKANKSHA SONI why playing Dev is a challenge
You are very selective of the roles you play, so why DevIJ
I have been in the industry for over 20 years. I think it’s the right time; the age between 35-40 you have the option of playing a lot of roles — a villain, a cop or even a father with the right emotions. There are a few roles available that are not just a typical guy in love one that you get to play when you are young. I figured it was the time to re-invent myself, hence Dev.
How did you prepare for the roleIJ
It is by far the best character I have played. I have read the scripts of about 20 films and when I read this one I got goosebumps. The only homework an actor can do is seeing and doing good work. You can’t practice in front of a mirror. Acting schools can help but most of all it is hand’s on experience. I have recently taken to watching Sherlock as Dev is the closest resemblance of the character of Benedict Cumberbatch, the complexity and depth that he carries is a challenge to depict.
How is Dev different from other crime thriller drama on televisionIJ
In most crime shows, there may be a detective but the the entire episode is around the crime. In this one, it is about the detective and his work. You know when he is waking up, what he did last night, when he is going out, who waits back, if he will miss out something in his personal life because of the case, whether he comes home in the night, is he okay or not. This is the life story of Dev. We have a case every episode also, like Saavdhan India but unlike that we have a life story of the man too.
Why choose to work in a finite seriesIJ
I don’t want to hurt anyone who does daily soap because I would also love to do one too. Audiences love them too. But when it comes to creative satisfaction, in daily soap you run out of ideas and scenes get unnecessarily stretched. Finite shows have a crisp story, happening story.
You have been out of the industry for a long time, what was keeping you busyIJ
I am on the board of a security company in Mumbai and I hold equity in advertising agencies. I also now partner a wealth management company that I have started in Delhi. Managing a business and an acting career is difficult, especially for TV. So I here on my time off.
Are TV actors taken for grantedIJ
As an actor entire life and career revolves around the fact whether your phone is buzzing. If people like your work, you get other opportunities. Otherwise it is joblessness.
You have done films and then returned to TV...
My life has been a progression. From ramp shows, hosting for Walt Disney, small and big ad films, serials and then films, satellite films and comedy, I have done it all one by one. It was like climbing a ladder. Actors think films are the ultimate. When I reached there I realised it can’t be on top for me because I was not a top actor. I would only get multi-star movies; I would not get Dharma Productions. I am not from the industry so I pushed my ego aside and did different things, had fun. After doing movies like Double Dhamaal, I decided to try my luck in TV again. You get fandom, money is good, popularity is good and I got to a stage in life where I could actually choose what to do.
Your stint in Fear Factor.
I would have never done something like that. But I got the chance to work with a wonderful channel like Colors’. They are gutsy and do good work. Today, Fear Factor is the biggest feather in my cap.
Even my grandchildren will go on YouTube and see how dadu won Fear Factor, how dadu was hanging from a helicopter. These moments make my life.
What is the most challenging part for an actorIJ
The time when they are not getting work. patience then become his biggest biggest virtue. It is a difficult phase. How to say no if a big producer offers a third role to you, starring Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan. I decided very early in life that I will take acting as a hobby. am not in it to make money. Because if you think of it that way you will end up in the wrong place.
Also, over exposure on TV doesn’t work in an actor’s favour.