I hope Powder has opened up gates for experimentation : Manish Chaudhari

Yash Raj Films’ Powder meets its end this week. TellyChakkar caught up with actor, Manish Chaudhari in a nostalgic mood. He plays the senior officer- Usmaan Ali Mallik in the show. How did you become part of Powder? I remember that the auditions were happening for more than a year and a half. I just happened to walk in the auditions and the casting director asked me to go ahead and give it a shot. That’s how I got selected and here I am! How has this show made a difference to your life? A role or a show has to be too powerful to make an impact on an actor’s life. I am not sure if a single show has that potential. It usually happens with a series of interesting roles. I wouldn’t say it has made a difference in my life, but yes, I have become aware of new things. We have explored ‘real’ Mumbai that not many are aware of. We have shot in areas that have never been exposed earlier on television. Very few people get an opportunity to explore this side of Mumbai. The concept of the show is very different from the daily soaps… Yes, Powder has a very interesting concept. Recently at a party, a director friend told me our viewers usually don’t like experimentation. They are comfortable with daily soaps and don’t want to try out something different. However, my thoughts differ here… I think that the audience loves variety and is craving for something new; it’s just that they are not given enough options. The problem here is with the makers and not the audience. Thus, I hope that Powder has opened up the gates for experimentation. Did you undergo any special training for the show? Rahul (Bagga), Pankaj (Tripathi) and I along with four other actors had attended a workshop with the ex-superintendent of NCB as a part of our training. He mainly spoke about his experiences, which helped us tremendously. As far as physical training is concerned, our theatre experiences helped us a lot. Do you think Powder was under promoted? Yes absolutely! I think that the show had a wonderful concept, had tremendous potential. However, these days, publicity is very important. Especially, I think shows like these that are different from the rest, need a special push. The show has done relatively well even when the push was lacking. So, I am wondering what could have been the scenario if it had got that push. But, I am sure there might be a reason why they didn’t opt for that kind of publicity. Tell us about your most fascinating experiences on the show? You’ve caught me at a time where we have finished the shoot and everything is now jumbled up! Powder has been a journey with several interesting experiences. I remember that as a part of our training and research for the show, we had visited NCB. I was fascinated to see a one-on-one confrontation of a cop with the guy put for trial. It is nothing like we see in movies. In fact, a third person would not be able to differentiate between the criminal and the cop. Both are dressed in civil clothes and have an amazing connection and understanding. They both are aware of what they need from the opposite person. They don’t think like you and me. Hence, there’s no drama like we see on television. What will you miss about Powder? We spent a lot of time shooting and discussing about it not leaving much time for personal life but now that is not the case. Actually, I am also glad about it. Can we expect the second season soon? Well, I really don’t know. I think there might be a second season as the first one is ending soon.