I have successfully completed my 5 years in Mumbai: Arun Mandola

Actor Arun Mandola, who is known for the role of Lakshman in Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan, talks about what the character meant to him, his experience of being part of Luvkush Ramleela and the challenges he faced in Mumbai.

Your character of Laxman has stayed with the fans. What led to you saying yes to the role? 

> When I got a call for Lakshman from Zanet Casting Hub, I had permanently shifted back to my hometown. It was difficult to come back. But when Contilo Production finalised me for this role, I did not ask them about character brief or budget because I knew that I had to play this epic role. I knew that these character will make me immortal.

You have spoken extensively about the struggle you had to go through before bagging the role.  Has that struggle changed you as a person at all? 

> When I came to Mumbai, I thought I had seen a lot of struggle in my childhood. But Mumbai taught what real struggle meant. With no friends, no family, no support, you are just alone here. I have learnt so much and have grown as person.

What kind of roles are you now looking forward to? 

> I'm looking forward to playing an innocent momma's boy kind of role.

Do you feel that starting a career with the mythological role, which has been praised too much, can typecast you? 

> It depends on person to person and your work strategy.  I know very well how to change my image and how to avoid been typecast.

You are a Delhi boy. How did Mumbai treat you when you went there for the first time to work? 

 > See there are two things, first how Mumbaikars treated me and second, the work I got. Mumbai is an amazing city, there are hardworking people, transportation is good but getting work is tough. There are 500 candidates and one audition. Mumbai city won't accept everyone but by the God's grace, I have successfully completed my 5 years in Mumbai.Are there any special Delhi memories, which you can remember forever? 

> I was born and brought up in Delhi. I often miss those days when I used to go my theatre classes in winters. I also miss the winters there.You were also part of Delhi's Ram Leela. Is it difficult to hold the attention of thousands of people? 

> It was amazing to share the stage with Bollywood celebrities. There are thousands of people watching the worlds’ biggest Luvkush Ramleela, so you cannot let them down. For the first time, I spoke in Avadhi. I was not able to sleep, not because I was so nervous and it was extremely challenging. But after practicing and my determination to succeed, I realised that I have potential to impress a thousand people.

Do you feel that making it big in acting can get difficult for someone who is not from Mumbai? 

> It can get to you. The new atmosphere, new culture, people from other states with a different mentality, competition with those people, who have already made a name for themselves, can get overwhelming. It's a very small part of the struggle.

We have a lot of actors in the showbiz, who have played the same mythological character multiple times in different shows. Do you feel that it is okay to do that? 

> I am keen on taking on different roles. I can’t see the same #ArunMandola every time. Therefore I will always refrain taking on the same role again.

How much of a fitness freak are you? 

> I always wanted to be an actor, so I always knew the importance of being fit. The first priority for a successful actor is fitness, that’s why I make sure to work out everyday.

What kind of diet do you follow? 

> I don’t follow any diet chart but I drink 15 to 20 glasses of water. I don't eat outside food.

Is the television industry a friendly place to work in? 

> If you are working then yes, it’s friendly place to work.

Have you made good, helpful friends in the industry? 

> My father told me, “100 Nalayak Doston se, ek Dost Achha”. So I follow what he said.

I came to Mumbai with Rs.5000 and one bag: Sourabh Raaj Jain

Actor Sourabh Raaj Jain has become quite household name now with his character of Shiv in Siddharth Kumar Tewary's Mahakaali Anth hi Aramabh hai. However, the actor’s journey has not been easy and he has had to struggle quite a bit to reach the position he enjoys today. “When I came to Mumbai, I had Rs.5000 in my wallet and one bag. My parents were not too happy with my decision to act and they thought I would be back in Delhi soon. But that thankfully never happened. I did not struggle getting my first show as I was selected for ‘Remix’ in Delhi itself. But living in Mumbai was not easy. Firstly, I came from a middle class family and during that time, my father had a failing business. Our house was sold in fact, a point came when he did not have money to even pay rent. I came to know all of this soon after I came to Mumbai,” he says. 

The actor adds, “Coming to Mumbai was a complete cultural shock to me in many ways. Many co-actors, who I worked with, came from affluent families, and they had a very different lifestyle. For me, it became very difficult to cope up with them. My studies got affected because of my first show as I could not give all my exams.” 

Money was an issue for the actor at the time.  “After ‘Remix’ got over, I thought of giving myself a break from acting and finish my studies. But considering financial mess that we were in, not earning was not an option. So I joined call centre in Mumbai itself. I can never forget his phase of my life. I would be awake the whole night at the call centre. After getting little sleep, I would study for my exams. And since I had decided to be an actor, I also became part of a group where we used to rehearse for a play. I never took money from home all this while and I am proud of that. Later when I completed my graduation I left call centre and immediately got a role in Balaji's ‘Kasam Sey’, from then on I got one show after another,” he says. 

Sourabh says that he learnt a lot from ‘Remix’. “’Remix’ was a complete learning school for me, Srishti di, with her entire team, put in lot of efforts. After that, when I decided to continue with acting, I started working on myself. I remember reading lots of Hindi books to improve my diction. I would also take guidance from my seniors at work and I still continue to do so,” he says. 

With a height of six feet, three inches, life can be tough in TV, says the actor. “For television, it's another problem since most of the lead girls are not tall and because of that I got rejected several times,” he says. 

While he has done many shows, he is known for his mythological characters. However, the actor has no qualms in people thinking that he has got typecast in the role. “Well, that does affect me. I have worked in various genres, be it as the guy-next-door, Anand, in ‘Parichay’ or a negative guy in ‘Uttaran’, be it being a radio host for 92.7 Big FM or anchoring shows like ‘Savdhaan India’,” he says. 

What about future plans? “I would love to do characters with grey shades. I had lot of fun while playing Yuvraj in ‘Uttaran’. 

Also, I would love to do a character with no brains at all. Having played characters giving philosophies of life, I think that would be a great change,” he says.

I am a very secure actor: Juhi Parmar

When a daily show takes a less, it sometimes questions the importance of certain characters in a story. However, actor Juhi Parmar doesn't feel the heat. “I'm not at all an insecure actor. I trust my ability as an actor,” says Juhi, whose show Shani recently took a less. The actor is very happy with her show. “I have full faith in my creative team and my character and above all Siddharth Kumar Tewary. He has shaped my character so brilliantly that I don't need to worry at all abt anything because of leap or any other factor for that matter,” she says. The talented actor is all in praise of her co -star Rohit Khurana, who recently entered the show as the grown up God Shani. “Rohit is a very good actor and apt to play grown-up, Shani. He has a big responsibility and I think he is doing really well. OursTRPs have gone higher ever since he entered the show..which only shows that he is also loved by the audience,” she says The actor has been part of the showbiz for almost two decades. She is glad to have made some nice bonds in the industry. “I have lots of friends..and I totally love them.To name a few Salil Ria, Pooja Bedi, Aashka Goradia, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Hussain and the list goes on.These people have stood by me and supported me in Good and bad and I can go to any extent to be there for them,” she says.

Love Triangle in Rsihta Likhenge Hum Naya

Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya has been keeping the audiences hooked to their TV screens with its twists and turns. Ratan aka Rohit Suchanti and Diya aka Tejasswi Prakash’s love story mystery is taking its own churns and curls and in the midst of all this, Suyyash Rai aka Abhay Sa will make his way into the plot more like a ‘blast from the past’. While the two have maintained their romantic stand, the mystery man in the life of Diya arrives with a surprise making situation all numb and shocking for her.Turns out, 12 years ago, Diya and Abhay’s parents had promised for to them to get married when they grow up. Abhay who believed Diya would welcome him with open arms was rather astonished to see him after more than a decade. With the ongoing love drama in the show, will there be a ‘Stop shock’ situation? On the other hand, Diya and Ratan’s engagement plan had already left everyone in tremor and with Abhay Sa’s entry will there be a twist in the tale?What will be the next move, will Ratan really fall in love with Diya? Will Abhay turn villain or try to woo Diya? Will this Love triangle have a definition? Will Diya be still able to find the real culprit behind the attacks? 

Tune in to Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya only on Mon-Fri 9:00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television!

‘I prefer traditional and simple wedding rituals’, says Vikram Singh Chauhan

Indian weddings are known to be a grand affair with lavish preparations, elaborate rituals with lot of enthusiasm, exuberance, and extravagance. But Vikram Singh Chauhan aka Vyom thinks otherwise and believes in keeping it low key and simple.

Says Vikram, “Grand weddings are just not my cup of tea. These are good to watch on television but in real life I prefer keeping it as simple as possible. I am a very private person and I am not much of an exhibitionist and prefer having smaller traditional ceremonies with close family and friends. I think simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and we can enjoy these celebrations without being loud and over the top.”

The grand celebrations for Sharanya (Donal Bisht) and Vyom’s (Vikram Singh Chauhan) wedding is underway with great pomp and show. Everyone seems to be loving and enjoying the ceremonies, other than one person, which is Shiv (Namik Paul) in this case. He is not able to come to terms with Sharanya tying a knot with Vyom, and will go to any length to put a stop to this wedding.

Shiv, therefore, to disrupt these celebrations possess Vyom to take complete control of the situation. But will he be successful in stopping this wedding? Will this be an end to Vyom and Sharanya’s love story?

To find out tune in to ‘Ek Deewaana Tha’ every Monday-Friday at 10:00 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television!