When you see my character you will fall in love with it - Gaurav Khanna

When you see my character you will fall in love with it because every person aspires to be like Anuj once in his life - Gaurav Khanna

Anuj Kapadia's new entry in Star Plus' hit TV show 'Anupama' is going to be seen by the audience soon. TV industry's well-known and talented actor Gaurav Khanna will play this character who will be seen as a business tycoon and Anupama's college friend. Here are some key excerpts from the exclusive conversation about his character and acting career -

What special preparations have you made for the character of Mr. Anuj Kapadia?

I have done a lot of work my whole life. Have done a lot of exercises and done weight lifting. The preparations that I have done for all my previous characters are clearly visible to the audience. Coming to the character of Anuj Kapadia who is a business tycoon, I have thought of bringing a pause in this special character of mine. I, Rajan sir have decided together that we will give a different shape to this character which will mature but will retain its charm even today. I am very fortunate to have been able to understand that deep thin line between myself and my character.
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Have you worked with Rupali ji before?

No! I have not worked with Rupali ji before who is a powerhouse of her acting. I have seen his shows before, in which his performance was well received by the audience. I just recently did a mock shoot with him and I didn't feel at all that I am a new part of the show. The same thing becomes great for an actor when your cast welcomes you with open arms and suddenly everything becomes very easy for you.

Have you worked with Sudhanshu sir and any other artist before the show?

I haven't got a chance to work with Sudhanshu ji before. But over the years I have seen his work on his albums, his movies, music videos and shows. I have grown up watching them. She has been one of the top models. That was a time when we used to see her and think that we too will become such great models one day. It is a great thing for me that I am getting a chance to work with him. I haven't started shooting yet but whatever I hear so far he is a very nice and jovial person and I am going to learn a lot from him on the sets.

If you had to put Anuj Kapadia in the line of industrialists, with whom would he have his power lunch?
(Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business tycoon, investor, and author. He founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400) companies in various fields.) who is a huge business tycoon as well as he is an adventurer and he is also a part of many big things.

You are back on television with a bang. How excited are you to play this role?
I am back on TV again with a bang. I am a person who believes in this theory, who is not a very socially active person but when I work, I work hard. I have been working for almost 15 years. I am very fortunate that I got a chance to do very good characters throughout the tenure of my career and I also see many similarities between me and my character and I immediately gave my nod to this character because somewhere in it I have to give my best. The fragrance comes and people will see me on the screen and say that Anuj and Gaurav are exactly the same.

How are you keeping yourself fit nowadays?
I continued to work throughout my career. Because I feel that by keeping working and doing the things you love the most, in which your whole body and mind are engaged, by doing this you can keep yourself fit and this is my fitness mantra. I love what I'm doing and I want to keep doing it. I would also tell people the same thing, keep doing the things that you want to achieve. As an actor, I have given my audience and fans what they wanted to see in me through my character. I will continue this in future also.

How does it feel shooting your show amidst this new normal?
The whole world has been changed by the first and second wave of this pandemic, which is now called the New Normal. Being an actor a lot of things have changed on the sets now. When we are not shooting, everyone sees you wearing masks. which never happened before. One thing that has become good with this is that people have become very conscious about cleanliness now. But now the interaction between people has reduced but what to do is the new normal and we are all part of it. By staying together we can all fight and win through this difficult time by following the rules.

Did you see any challenges playing this role?

I haven't started shooting for my character yet, so it would be difficult to say about the difficulty of playing this character, but this character is very different from the characters that I have played before. I love to play those aspects of the character which you are not able to do in your everyday life. I am very happy to work with all the wonderful people associated with the show like cameramen, creatives, directors, producers and my co-actors and I hope my character Anuj will be loved by the audience.

How do you bring balance to your work and personal life?

It is very difficult at times to always balance your personal and professional life. Daily soap actors often work 14 to 15 hours, out of which 12 hours are their shifts and the rest is spent traveling from home to set and from set to home. But I have been lucky in this matter because I have always struck a balance between it. I am not a very social person. I love being with my people in my time zone at home, spending time with my wife and sister. I like home food.

What do you want to do after the complete lifting of the lockdown in the country?

One thing that I would like to do after the lockdown is completely over in the country is that I can have darshan of God and I will pray to him to give immense strength to all of us so that we can get out of every difficulties and thank him also. I would like to say

Any message you want to give to your fans and Star Plus viewers?

I would like to send this message to the viewers and my fans of Star Plus that I look forward to your love and cooperation. My character Anuj and I have a lot in common. When you see my character, you will fall in love with it because this character is like that. Every person aspires to be like Anuj once in a lifetime. I am working hard on my character.

Have you taken inspiration for this character from a person, a movie or a character?
My main motivation on Anupama show is Rajan Shahi ji, the producer and creative of the show because it is because of him that I agreed to this character and understood its importance. Anuj will enter the show as Anupama's old school and college friend who is a very jovial, open minded person who brings a smile to everyone's face. This character will be liked by the audience a lot.

Give the reason for choosing this character?

As we are seeing Anupama is the number one show on GEC platform of India due to its storyline, performance of its star cast which not only connects the hearts of the audience but also connects with each and every character of it. Rajan Shahi is known for the same story and shows. I myself have loved Anuj's character so I am a part of the show today.

Have you taken inspiration from anyone in the business man for this role? 

I love to do homework on any of my characters before playing them. As you will see my character is not only stylish, very perfect about her work but also has a lot of humility in her nature. Rajan sir needed a mixture of all these things in the character of Anuj, for which I watched many big business man videos so that I could pay attention to every detail in my character which is in the body language of a business. I have not taken inspiration from any one business for this character, there are many people on this list.

What was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them about your entry in the Anupama show and your character?

My friends and my family were overjoyed to hear that I was going to be a part of GEC's (Hindi General Entertainment Channel) number one show 'Anupama'. Because they themselves like this show very much, they find its characters very real. He loved that I would get to work with the beautiful cast of the show and learn a lot from him and play a real character myself.

What else do you see yourself doing next?

I like to work more. I have played a variety of characters in my career, from which I have seen many good changes in my acting, learned many things, have seen many changes in myself and I am trying to give 100 percent to my character Anuj.

How did you spend your time during the lockdown?

I spent a lot of good time with family during the lockdown as you guys must have also. Do not go anywhere, just stay at home with your people. It was a time when we gave our physical appearance to our family, wife and spent quality time with our people.

Do you get time to watch your shows on TV?

However, I am not always able to watch every episode of my show due to paucity of time. Because after coming home after the shoot, I have to prepare myself for the shooting of the second day, but whenever I have a week off or holiday, I watch my shows on that day and every person is the best of himself. He is a big critic and the things I don't like in my character, I try not to repeat that mistake.

How do you keep yourself positive and motivated during these difficult times?

I always try to keep myself positive and encouraging. Because life has its ups and downs, it is a part of everyone's life. If there is a time that your audience did not like, then there is no need to be sad. I learn from him that next I should not make such mistake. I don't get very excited when happiness comes and when troubles come, I take care of myself. This is the mantra of my life.

To witness the entry of actor Gaurav Khanna as Anuj Kapadia, watch the show 'Anupama' every Monday to Saturday at 10 PM only on STAR Plus