Actor Randeep Rai talks to Pragya Mittal about recreating the 90s era through his mischievous and charming role in the new show Yeh Un Dino Ki Baat Hai on Sony
What preparations did you doIJ
Before signing this show, I had six pack abs which didn’t suit the role of Sameer. To get the looks of a schoolboy, I lost 11 kg of weight in three months. I followed a strict diet along with functional fitness training. I learnt skating in three days and will soon be learning guitar. Sameer is a charming boy with lots of talent and to adapt the role, I had to learn a lot of skills to make it look real.
Was it a conscious decision to play a character younger to your ageIJ
Yes it was. I wanted to take up this challenge to do something different. But if I would have been offered a role which is much older to my age, I would have given it a miss as I don’t want to look older than my age on screen. I am 24 and want to choose roles precisely to get younger age roles in future.
Your look in the show is very similar to Salman Khan’s look in 90s movies...
Yes that’s true! My look is inspired by Salman Khan’s look in his earlier movies. From hair to body language, Salman Khan’s character in those movies has been a role model to shape up the character of Sameer. I have grown my hair long for the first time. People are liking this new look of mine.
Being in today’s generation, was it difficult for you to adapt the role of 90s eraIJ
Yes it was difficult for me to recreate that era through my role. To feel like I am in that era, I did research work on how was life like back then and what people used to doIJ I stopped using my mobile for 12 hours a day during the shoot which was initially difficult but afterwards, I started enjoying it as I used to be excited to see missed calls and messages from my friends and family.
How do you think this show is different from other love stories that are currently on air on TVIJ
The concept of recreating 90s era makes it different from all newage love stories right now running on television. It is not fiction but a recreation of the times from which most of our audience can relate. It is close to the reality of 90s era and I am sure the viewers will love the show.
Any role you would like to experiment with in the futureIJ
Many people say I have an innocent face and thus I would like to use this as an opportunity to play an innocent boy just like Tushar Kapoor’s role in movie Good Boy Bad Boy.