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Arjun Bijlani: I am okay to go through the struggle again if I have to rebuild everything

He’s known for being the chocolate boy on Indian television, but his aim has been to get out of that mould

Published on: Mar 10, 2021, 18:28:29 IST
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He’s known for being the chocolate boy on Indian television, but his aim has been to get out of that mould. And Arjun Bijlani has evidence to prove that it didn’t become a hindrance in getting variety.

Actor Arjun Bijlani has been a popular name on Indian television for years.
Actor Arjun Bijlani has been a popular name on Indian television for years.

“I did a web show called State of Seige, in which I was playing Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s role who was a major. It was not a lover boy, I didn’t have any love interest. My last show on TV, Ishq Mein Marjaavaan. It’s not that I haven’t experimented on TV, I tried to do different roles, and didn’t get stuck on one particular image,” maintains the actor.

The 38-year-old adds that being a star doesn’t mean one can’t take chances. He continues, “I know it’s not easy, whether you are a star or not a star. It’s always about what’s next, how do you crack that character. I am okay to go through the struggle again if I have to rebuild everything. I have no qualms, because you have to be passionate about your craft. One might think ‘I am a star on TV, this is the way it should be’, but you have to understand that eventually you have got to work with the director.”

Currently, Bijlani’s focus is on doing work on the web, which is why he isn’t taking up many things on TV. He is also sure that he won’t give a nod to a web project just because it has titillating or bold content.

“I have been meeting people. When you try to shift a medium, it’s not easy, you have got to do it the right way. The way TV functions is totally different from how OTT functions. It depends on what kind of projects you want to be a part of, and the kind of scripts you crack for yourself. There is so much content for every age group. I want to do something which is more acting oriented. I don’t want to be a part of any web series, which has no script but just bold scenes and bad language.. OTT is a relatively new platform in itself, understanding and adjusting. With time, it will only get better I feel,” says the actor.

  • Rishabh Suri
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rishabh Suri

    Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More