Interviews
Jennifer Winget and Harshad Chopda’s Bepannaah has become a craze with the urban audience in less than two months. The show is the perfect birthday gift for Harshad, who made a comeback on TV after three years. Harshad has spent over 12 years in the TV industry and still has a huge fan following. Bollywood Life caught up with him for a chat on his birthday. The actor tells us that he is unaware if he will get a break on his birthday or not but his friends have planned a party for him. “I don’t wish to buy anything for myself as God has been very kind to me by giving me this show,” he states. There are no resolutions for the birthday boy as he says he is a doer and not a planner. “I lead a disciplined life. There is nothing I need to get rid of,” he says. Talking about the craze for Bepannaah on social media, he said, “Yeah…it was a good show, which is why I did it (laughs). Times have changed from the time I joined the industry. Social media is too big and has a huge impact now. There is a virtual world, which exists today. I am happy with the reaction to Aditya as the character was supposed to evoke such emotions.”
So, what makes Aditya Hooda such a hit? “It is a lovable character and he is a good guy. The thing is both his strength and weaknesses are quite appealing. His weaknesses are not that of a man but of a child. Aditya’s life’s journey on the show, is very interesting. He will grow on you as you begin to understand him. Aditya is a kamal ka character,” he elaborates. He is quick to reiterate that it is the most challenging character he has played so far. “I feel all the roles I did till now were preparations for this role. It is challenging and fun. It is tough to bring Aditya on screen easily,” opines the handsome actor. So far, the third episode was the most draining one for the actor. “The shamshan sequence was tough. I have to bring in a lot of intensity and emotions. You need to bring little extra here and there to get the right effect,” he says.
On the show, he plays the role of a husband, who is anguished by the betrayal of his wife. Aditya, his character reacts with extreme anger on that development. So, has he faced the turmoil of betrayal? “It happens in every life, heartbreak, cheating and betrayal…I feel life goes through it and becomes complete. I have had my share of doing bad and being done too. Sab ka idea hai mujhe. Talking about onscreen emotions, I got a lot of help from the team in terms of co-stars, directors and writers. I feel Aditya faces betrayal for the first time, which is why he is so berserk with his reactions. That happens to normal people as well, we experience an unfamiliar emotion for the first time and do struggle to hand it. It is like when you lose your mobile phone for the first time, you feel terrible, it happens repeatedly, you know you have to buy new ones (laughs out loud).
One of the high points of the show is his pairing with Jennifer Winget. The actress is back on screen after Beyhadh, which is one of the most appreciated shows of recent times. Jennifer’s acting as Maya was considered as a benchmark in Indian TV. Did Harshad feel any pressure about working with her? “There is no competitiveness, it is a collaborative journey. There is no pressure on me or her. We are extremely sincere as people. We come on time, get ready on time and read our lines beforehand. We’re two sincere people working together,” he says. Incidentally, both Jennifer and Harshad have spent more than a decade in the TV industry. “We get nostalgic about the initial years at times during discussion. It is very surprising, she and I had been in the same field for years now but we never met at any show or award function. After so many years, it seems like we met for the right thing. Tabhi milke matlab nahi tha naa.”
Girls have also gone gaga over Harshad’s avatar as the romantic Aditya on the show. is he a romantic in real life as well? “I am not romantic. I don’t think I can answer that. You have to find out and ask someone who may have an idea. I can only romance before the camera,” he says shyly. Lastly, we asked him to give a message for his fans. “I feel a lot of gratitude for my fans. I just want to say thank you. Like every other actor, I head to work in the morning and there is no difference between them and me. It is just that some get appreciated more. Thank you for being so kind. I try to reply to the messages every once in a while,” he says. Stay tuned to Bollywood Talk for more scoop and updates…
