Actor back with a sequel saying his TV outing rescued him and helped him break stereotypes. By Divya Giri
For actor Ashish Chaudhary, who has done multiple comedy roles, the small screen was a way of breaking stereotypes. So he took up a regular fiction show and followed it up with a leading role as detective Dev. This was such an unfamiliar and testing character that he is now reprising it in a sequel.
“I feel like a different person when I do this role because in real life I am not at all like my character. I am jovial but the character doesn’t even smile. The workshops we did for this helped me a lot. I would use the character’s mannerisms even while checking my phone. He bites his lips when he is in stress and raises eyebrows. My team gave birth to this character and now I am a remote control in their hands,” he said at the Delhi launch.
Chaudhary believes that this suspense drama was the perfect pitch for his growth curve as an actor. After his last film Double Dhamaal, he had, in fact, thought of giving up acting and going into business simply because he was being offered similar roles with a tweak here and there. He didn’t want to choose the wrong project for money.
“Initially, there were problems with remembering details like CCTV camera number, names of characters but I have eased out in this role now. I improvise now and am part of the creative team too. Now, I wonder how I can ever go back to comedy.”
Talking about the one big mistake of his film career, he said, “My biggest mistake was to do Girlfriend, which was my second outing on the big screen. It revolved around lesbian partners and I was peripheral to their existence. Besides, I want to do films which my kids can watch too. When I do TV, they come to know the nature of my work.”
For the actor, fame is more important than money. He also makes sure that his family approves of what he is doing since he wants his children to feel proud of his work.