My character in Porus demands intensity which is physically and mentally exhausting: Aditya Redij

Swastik Productions’ magnum opus Porus is set to hit to screens tonight (27 November).

The good looking and talented actor Aditya Redij, who was earlier seen on popular shows like Meri Awaaz Hin Pehchaan Hai, Peshwa Bajirao and many more, has been roped in to essay the role of King Bamni on Sony TV’s upcoming mega series Porus.

In a conversation with TellyChakkar, Aditya reveals much more about his character, preparations for the role and much more.

Excerpts from the interview –

Tell us a bit about your role…

I am playing the role of King Bamni who is very powerful, authoritative and assertive in nature. He is also very loving towards his country. He wants to take his country to a different level.

How has your experience been so far and what are the preparations that you had to do for the role?

It’s been a superb experience and I got to learn a lot of things. We have been given a lot of time to prepare for the role. We have been shooting for months. We have been given underwater training in Thailand. We have learnt sword fighting and horse riding which was completely a different experience for us. It was quite exciting. I don’t think, I had to prepare myself so much for playing a role like the way I have done for this one.

How challenging is it for you to play this role?

Every day is a new challenge, whether it is wearing 15 kilos of costumes and carrying a six kilos sword along with it. Wearing heavy costumes, carrying a heavy sword and then doing an action sequence on a horse is not an easy job. Every day it has been a tough job, not just physically but mentally too because the character demands intensity which is mentally exhausting. Sometimes we have to do emotional scenes for continuous two-three days with the costumes. It’s challenging but when we are seeing the outcome on-screen, it makes us feel very happy.

How was your first day of shoot?

I remember that we were shooting on an island for a sequence. We were running against time. We had to shoot in the daylight and it used to get dark very soon. It used to rain heavily. I remember Rahul Tewary was directing our action sequence which was being filmed between me and Gurpreet, who is playing the role of Ambhiraj. We finished the action sequence in around three hours. We used to shoot in multiple units and used to compete with each other for delivering better quantity and quality work. They were really impressed with the kind of results our action sequence had given which was quite satisfying for us.

How is your bond with your co-stars?

It’s amazing! The entire star cast is very friendly, they don’t have any attitude problem. All of us have been good friends from a long time now. We support each other. We all are staying far away from our families. So we are there for each other emotionally throughout.

You are shooting in Umbergaon away from your family in Mumbai. How difficult is it to manage?

I have to manage because of the demand of my work. My wife Natasha (Mohan Sharma) is also very understanding and I am very lucky to have her. She is there throughout to support me. Sometimes when I am in a dilemma, she encourages me to focus on my work.

How often do you get to visit Mumbai?

Sometimes there have been times when I haven’t come to Mumbai for a month and there have also been times when I get to visit Mumbai whenever I get a day off.

You have played a key role in Colors’ cult show Laado that has made a comeback with a season 2. How do you feel about it?

It feels really nice and I would like to wish Meghna (Malik) all the best. She is a wonderful actress and I have learned a lot from her as an actor. I would like to wish her and her team all the best.

When are you and Natasha planning to go the family way?

Right now, I have a son (the on-screen one) (laughs). Let’s see after this…