An award is won by an actor whose show tops the chart: Shakti Arora

Shakti Arora has always charmed us with his flawless acting skills and recently showcased his dancing chops on the stage of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. He is currently missing from the tube but the actor loves to keep himself busy with many things.

In a detailed conversation with Tellychakkar.com, the Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi actor revealed more about what’s keeping him busy these days, his journey and future plans. Excerpts:

What’s keeping you busy these days?

I am busy with events, appearances and performances. Along with this...commercials.

According to you, what is the perfect way to enjoy a sabbatical for an actor?

I think the perfect way to enjoy a sabbatical would be by working on self and your body. When an actor doesn’t work then there is a gap between two works so I think that’s the best phase because you get to learn a lot of things about yourself. You have time to spend on yourself and by doing things you love doing like reading books, expanding your horizon and doing other things and learning new things at the same time. So this is the best phase that an actor decides and prepares for the next role.

What kind of offers are you getting and what kind of roles are you willing to take up now?

I want to do something different. The character should excite me and be challenging as well. I don’t want to do simple and easy roles. I have done those before. I want to do something people can relate to and at the same time, they should say that this was the right comeback for me.

I am also getting offers for films and television shows but as of now, I have not found any script exciting enough to jump on to the offer. Recently, I did a pilot shoot for Star Plus but  nothing has been finalised yet and I have no information whether it's been approved or scrapped. I am also meeting people and trying different things.

How has your journey with Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa been? Have you become a dancer now?

Yes, I have! The journey with Jhalak has been very nice, entertaining and a learning experience for me because I have never done so much of dancing ever in my life. I used to dance for around 12-14 hours a day. Though I had a knee fracture, I managed to survive for 14 weeks. So that was a big achievement for me. I also met so many Bollywood stars on the show and getting comments from them was a great high. So overall, it was a great experience. I was a complete non-dancer and now I can dance. Now I believe in that philosophy that anybody can dance. Earlier I used to think that it’s just a title but actually anybody can dance if they have two feet.

Any regrets participating in Jhalak?

There are no regrets! I always wanted to do Jhalak since the time I joined Meri Aashiqui but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it. As soon I got the opportunity, I jumped on to the offer. In fact, I was getting many television shows at the same time and I declined those offers just for Jhalak. I think I have made the right decision because a reality show gives you your real name. You are known by your character name when you are doing television shows. So, Jhalak gave me the identity of Shakti. After Jhalak, I haven’t seen anyone addressing me as RV in public places. They call me by my name, Shakti. Getting known by your own name is a great high for a television actor.

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It’s sad part that everybody, from spot boys to the directors, is given credits in the show but the actors’ name never appears. I feel bad about it because these are the people who are entertaining you and come on screen but their real names are not even disclosed. Earlier some of the old shows used to have names of the actors along with their character names in the credits. It gives justice to actors and you enjoy your work. It’s not just that you are working for the show, it’s for the people also to know you.

Will you be keen on doing more reality shows now?

I don’t think that there are any reality shows left for me now. I have already done the best ones-Nach Baliye and Jhalak and I don’t think I will do Bigg Boss in near future; maybe sometime later. I won’t do Khatron Ke Khiladi because I am not comfortable with animals, drinking their juices, eating them, etc. I find them creepy so I avoid doing anything creepy and crawly and I won’t do such kind of things just for the sake of money. I wanted to achieve a certain name that I have got it from Jhalak and Nach Baliye.

How has your overall journey been so far?

It’s been fantastic! There have been lots of ups and downs and more of downs actually. Recently, there have been little ups. Life of an actor is interesting because you get to play so many emotions and characters that you haven’t seen in your life. I am an introvert, I don’t mingle or make friends easily so for me to play a character opposite of what I am in real life gives me satisfaction. I am not flamboyant or a psycho in real life but I can play that onscreen when the camera is rolling so for that particular time I can live that character. So, that’s an interesting thing to do and that’s what fascinates me.  

Any regrets so far?

There are no regrets! God has given me things at a later stage but I think it was all God’s plan.

We have seen you in ads, TV fiction and reality shows so which one of these satisfies you the most as an actor?

I love doing ads because they don’t take much of your time and at the same time, the ad is repeated on several channels. So the visibility is good. While you do a show, you are just seen once for a particular scene and you won’t be able to watch that scene again on television. So I prefer doing ads but television shows are equally important because I have got the actual fame from television. At the same time, I am looking forward to good film opportunities too.

Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi has given you immense fan following and popularity. How do you feel about it?

I was waiting for that break since childhood. When I got this particular break where I was offered a fabulous character, a male-oriented concept which is produced by Balaji Telefilms, it was a great high for me. This show has given everything to me ...so I put my heart, soul, sweat and everything to make it a hit and thankfully, it did well.

Are you in touch with any of your co-stars from Meri Aashiqui team?

Sometimes we do bump into each other but not much as all are busy in their own lives. We keep making new friends as we do new shows and the old ones are left behind.

What has been your biggest achievement as an actor?

The kind of popularity that I wanted that everyone should know me by my name is an achievement for me. I also wanted to buy a flat and a car on my own which is a dream of every actor so this dream of mine has been fulfilled and I think it’s a great achievement for me but it doesn’t stop here.

You had to postpone your marriage because of demonetisation so when is it happening now?

We haven’t discussed about it yet. It will happen whenever we get the opportunity. I don’t believe in a big fat wedding. I am quite private about my life although people know about my relationship. It won’t be a big wedding, it will be a quiet one and my close friends will be there. I want it to be a private affair. I think the concentration should be on an actor’s performance and not in his private life.

There is a craze booming for destination wedding these days. Are you keen on it?

Yes, I am! I can go for a destination wedding because I think that it will be away from the crowd and at the same time it would be exotic too.

Will you be keen on doing movies over TV?

TV has given me whatever I am today but I want to do films and I am meeting a lot of people for movies. So whatever comes my way first, I will grab the opportunity. I can’t sit home idle. I keep doing one thing or the other. It’s not that if I am not on television then I am not doing anything. I am busy doing something or the other all the time. Doing movies is on my mind right now but if a movie doesn’t happen then TV is for sure.

Many actors are getting inclined towards web series. Will you be keen on doing it?

I have seen a lot of web series and I find them interesting as they come with unique concepts. I think there is a lot of creative satisfaction in doing a web series as there are no stereotypes shots taken and it allows a lot of freedom in acting and there is quite a bit of reality in it and that’s what I like about web series. So if I get something good, then I will definitely do it.

Which TV actress would you like to work with in the future?

I am not interested in actresses. I am just interested in my work. Even if you make me stand in front of an iron pillar, I can romance with it (chuckles). There is no specific one with whom I would like to work with...not even with Neha (Saxena) because we will keep fighting with each other if we work together. I would love to work with Shraddha Kapoor in films though.

Who according to you is your competition on TV?

I think everybody is good looking, have good bodies and most of the people do real acting. So I think everybody is competition. Those who come to Mumbai every day with a dream of becoming an actor is a competition but you need to compete with yourself. You cannot compete with others. Everybody has their own journey so there is no specific ranking about the actors in the television industry. Whoever gets the highest TRP is number one. These days actors don’t get award because of acting, they may get nominated but the award would be won by the one whose show tops the chart.

Do you wish to be a part of a mythological or a historical show?

No, I don’t wish to be a part of it because I feel acting would be difficult with so many ornaments, getting tan in the sunlight while shooting and the dialogues in which you can’t use slang. You have to narrate your dialogues word to word as it is given to you. You just have to memorize it and deliver which is not fun and you can’t improvise. You don’t have a scope of improvisation in a mythological or a historical show. You have to be the way, the character is. I don’t get any creative satisfaction in doing it so I have never opted for such roles and I don’t wish to do it in future either. I would love to do a biopic of someone if offered otherwise I am not interested.

If not an actor, then what would you have been?

I think may be a 9-5 job somewhere. I have studied travel and tourism so probably I would be doing something in the travel industry or may be something in share market.

Message for your fans?

Don’t stop believing in me. I will definitely make a comeback for sure. Just keep praying for me so that I can come back and entertain you all once again.