Saurabh Agrawal shares that his character Vipul in Sonali Jaffar and Amir Jaffar’s Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha is shaping up well. At the present, according to the actor, a different side of the character is being explored.
“The scenes that I am shooting right now are quite exciting. The role has been written well and it does allow me to explore my craft as well. The character is well justified and adds much to the plot. In real life, I’m very funny at times, and other times I am quite serious. Vipul has all that in him, so I find him relatable. And it does help me in portraying the character well,” he says.
Saurabh is open to varied roles and does not make a conscious effort to choose characters. He believes in the characters choosing him and keeping his mind free in exploring whatever comes his way and different genres. What is the first thing that you see in a script that somehow pushes you to say yes to it?
“When I got the script of Indian Case File, (Chakravyuh) I found it was extremely amazing/genuine and the character graph was very well sketched. And of course, in this series, I play the protagonist, so I had a lot to do. I am playing an ACP, who goes through a lot both in his personal and professional life. The story is inspired by a real-life celebrated Cop from Mumbai. Then when I chose Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par that was on Zee Zindagi, I was allowed to add my own things to the character. I enjoyed getting that liberty as it helped me develop my part well, and freedom is given to an actor adds a lot to his performance. It’s very hard to survive in the TV industry so very few times and not every time that you get to choose,” he says
Revealing more about his journey so far, he continues, “I have played the odd, the good, the bad, and the ugly… I have played varied characters, and that gives me immense satisfaction as an actor. But if I have to talk about my favorite character then I will take the name of Acp Ranvijay Singh that I play in ‘Chakravyu’ in Indian case files, which is a 10-hour-long web series that airs on entering 10 movies, and now shall be on Dangal Tv YouTube channel. It is one role that demanded a lot out of me and the script was overwhelming as well. I cried innumerably while reading the script, even when the director narrated the story, so performing the part was quite challenging.”
Amid all these, he also agrees that actors have much scope in Bollywood and TV actors do get typecast easily.
“Once a character does well, people start recognizing you by that character and also end up calling you by that name. Probably this happens because unlike earlier times these days there are no credit roles in the beginning or end of shows. Not just the cast, this is the reason why people don’t get to know about those working behind the camera. I think that needs to begin again… Also, we all know that TV is dominated by female characters and male actors therefore don’t have much scope. But this is not the scenario in films. Luckily I got the opportunity to be a part of shows such as Crime Patrol, Savdhan India, Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par , Indian case files Chakravyuh, and Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha. Though I don’t limit myself in choosing different roles, there are definitely certain limitations,” he says.
My opinion on fans and media have much interest in a public figure’s personal life and they at times go overboard. “Yes, it does happen. And now social media seems to be adding fuel to that fire. Just see the gossip or stories a photo or comment can generate.
I wish we were more open and concerned about the actor’s work because that’s why we are celebrities in the first place. The ratio should be like 80% work and 20% personal life,” he concludes.
