It's time for some real action on TV - Adhish "24" Khanna

The much talked about show 24 (Anil Kapoor Film Co and Ramesh Deo Productions) on Colors is all set to take viewers for an interesting ride with some fast paced drama of a man, Jai Singh Rathore (Anil Kapoor), who has only 24 hours to save an important politician from a terror strike. And playing Jai’s son is new comer Adhish Khanna who is already a known face on TV having done a number of commercials. Talking about his character, the young boy avers, “I play Veer Singh Rathod, who is a sweet young boy with a good heart. He is almost a replica of his father and is very close to his family. My character will be established in the first episode, after which he will be seen training at the National Defence Academy in Pune. I will then make a comeback in the second half of the show, wherein a separate story circling around me will come to the fore.” We asked him on how he grabbed such a great opportunity. “Well, I was never really interested in doing a serial. But the casting director Roshmi is a friend who asked me to audition for this role. Even when I was shortlisted I was in two minds of doing the show, but then 24 is not like any daily saga, and so I finally gave it a nod.” “The show is definitely going to be a game changer in terms of shows on TV. Everyone has had enough of saas bahu serials; it’s now time for some real-kicking action. It is important to bring the international format of series so that people can enjoy variety and not get bored by watching everlasting boring stories,” he adds. Speaking on working with great actors like Anil Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Shabana Azmi, Mandira Bedi and Anupam Kher in his first project, Adhish exclaims, “It is indeed a proud moment for me. I have grown up watching these actors on the big screen and working with them is a like a dream coming true. Anil Kapoor is a very chilled out person and he really made us feel comfortable.” Adhish also feels honoured to have worked with Abhinay Deo, the director of the show as he says, “He is very clear of what he wants from his actors. And he is such a hard working person; I never saw him sitting on the sets, he was always on his toes. Even Rensil (D’Silva) Sir was a treat to work with.” The actor whose character was incidentally not a part of the original series also had a great time doing the action packed scenes. “It was really exciting and fun. Allen Sir, who directed the action sequence made us do some really kicking stuff. It was exhausting but a superb experience.” All good said and done, the actor is still trying to overcome the sacrifice he had to pay for this role. “Since I play a NDA cadet, I had to cut my precious hair. I have been growing them for nine years, and I was almost in tears when the stylist cut them off. It was a real hard time for me,” he smiles as he signs off. Well, Adhish ‘you lose some to gain some’ goes the old saying. And we are sure you will gain a lot with this much anticipated show.