February 20, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Abhishek Rawat, popular as Shekhar or ‘chote thakur’ in Zee TV’s famous show ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’ is known for his intense acting. The actor, a MBA (Masters in Business Administration) in Marketing, talks about what led him to cross over from marketing to acting…
How different are you from your character Shekhar in ‘Agle Janam’?
Shekhar is an intense and serious character; moreover, he is artistic and poetic! On the other hand, I am not so serious or intense. I am closer to reality and fun to be with…definitely not so poetic or artistic.
So how did you land up a part in ‘Agle Janam’?
Ever since my college days I was inclined towards theater and plays, but then studies took over and I did my masters in business (MBA) and graduated in marketing. After that I started working in a 9 to 5 job, but something was not satisfying me … I was at the crossroads of life where I had to choose between security and passion, and I chose my passion- acting, so here I am.
And what is that special thing about ‘Agle Janam’ which you’ll cherish forever?
To begin with, cast and crew of the show are extremely good. People here (Agle Janam) are very nice and the greatest thing is that there are no negative vibes here. The creative team is good; they have written and executed the show really well, unlike many other shows that put you off later.
Tell us about your background.
I belong to an army family; my father was in the Indian Army, so I have stayed all over India. I have stayed in Jabalpur, Calcutta, Pune, Gandhinagar, Ladhak, Gangtok, Delhi and Mumbai.
So which is your favorite city?
Mumbai is my favorite; I like Mumbai as I haven’t found any city like this.
What are you passionate about?
Acting… I closely watch actors carrying out their part from Indian and international cinema.
Now that you are a popular actor, what according to you, is the best part of being famous and the flip side of fame?
There is no flip side to fame. All the popularity, the kind of attention one gets and the way people are nice to you is extremely flattering. All the good things people say and do for you is overwhelming.
So what would be your dream role, the one character that you would love to portray on-screen?
I would like to play a role like that of Tom Hanks in ‘Forrest Gump’ or the kind of weird and whacky roles that Johnny Depp does. Also, I like the kind of varied roles that Pankaj Kapoor does.
In future what kind of shows would you like to do?
I would love to do shows that offer me a role which completely breaks me away from the kind of roles I am doing right now, or have done. It should be something funny, idiotic or crazy!
