"I am very attached to the characters I play"

With quite commendable and quality films and TV shows to his credit, Akshay Anande doesn't seem to pom pom about his credentials. Rather he prefers being reticent and let his body of work do the speaking. On the TV front he is been making waves as Brijesh bhai sahib in Zee's big ticket show, Saat Phere and of late he has been has made a part of Star One's Viraasat as Rohan Lamba. Prashant Golecha meets up with Akshay, (originally christened John Gardener) where he turns back to the pages of his career book and also gives us a peek of the real person behind the characters he's essayed. What's the raaz behind the conversion of you name from John Gardener to Akshay Anande? Akshay Anande is just my on-screen name. In fact John Gardner is still used by me for my passport and bank accounts. It was during a show Indradhanush that I used the name Akshay. And Anand was added by Dev Anand when I was associated with him for his film, Hum Naujawan. Tell us about the real Akshay Anande. I am professional and am very attached to the characters I play. The actor within me takes a new persona every day. I am an extrovert to the people I connect to but can be short tempered at times. I am married to a non-filmi girl, Rama and have two kids, Ayaan (eight year old) and Anaaya (2 year old). How did you pick on the acting bug? To pursue further studies in Economics I came down to St. Xavier's, Mumbai and I had no intention of becoming an actor. And one day during a train trip to Delhi a co-passenger started talking to me about shoes but I didn't encourage it as I don't talk to strangers. The co-passenger turned out to be director Anand Mahendroo who liked my attitude and offered me a role in his show Indradhanush. I liked the subject and met him in Mumbai. After that Ravi Rai, who was then assistant to Mahesh Bhatt, offered me a film Do Pal. After that I went on to do did films like Umar Pachpan Ki Dil Bachpan Ka, Pehli Nazar Mein (Sangeeta Ghosh was paired opposite me), Hahakar, Bandagi, Pyar Ka Tarana, Tammana, Zakam and Ghulam. I have also featured in a Kannada film, America America, on which Subhash Ghai's Pardes was based. And your TV journey? Ravi Rai offered me shows like Thoda Hai Thode Ki Jaroorat Hai and Teacher and with Raman Kumar I have done Rahe. My other projects include Thodi Si Bewafai, Choodiyan Chattan, Choti Ma, Samne Wali Khidki (which was a huge hit) and Shagun. After that I took eighteen months break and re-surfaced with Anubhav Sinha's Chi and Me based on E.T.. Then Saat Phere happened and now it's Virasaat. Do you remember working with Karan Johar in Indradhanush? Ya I do. Karan was a smart boy even in those days. He used to be worried about me as I had left my leather business in Calcutta to act in Indradhanush. In those days Karan had bought the audiocassette of Chandani and he was very enthusiastic about the world of cinema. He even fixed up my meeting with his father for a story narration. You mean you had the writing ambitions also? Yes I even wrote one story of four episodes of Raat Hone Ko Hai, produced by B. P. Singh. How's your experience been playing Brijesh bhai sahib in Saat Phere? I enjoy it as I am like that in real life too. My family matters the most. It is in synchronization with my persona. At public places people come forward and address me as Brijesh bhai sahib. You are working with Sangeeta Ghosh in Virasaat after ten years (film Pehli Nazar Main being the first project together). How does it feel? It is interesting to play Rohan Lamba (Sangeeta is my brother's wife). We feel nostalgic on the sets of Virasaat when we remember those days. When she did that film with me she was in her 12th standard, giving her board exams. Saat Phere or Virasaat? Saat Phere. I enjoy it more since I am attached to it since one and a half year. You haven't worked full-fledged with Balaji? I did Kehna Hai Kuuch Mujhko for Sahara where Nivedita Bhattacharya, who currently plays jiji in Saat Phere, was paired opposite me. We shot for 15 episodes but then channel changed and also the star cast. I have also done a cameo in Kaavyanjali wherein I played Amrita Singh's husband. Not thinking of going back to films? Currently I am enjoying my TV shows but I will definitely like to do films, roles which make a difference to the story and the film.