‘Changing my looks, quitting TV worked for me’

The decision of leaving TV after 25 years worked wonders for ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ actor Rituraj K Singh. “On the small screen, I have worked for all channels and every maker has repeated me multiple times. Now, the same thing is happening with OTT and films. Before I finish one, I have something or the other in hand,” said the actor who recently shot OTT series ‘Hastinapur’ and film ‘Satyamev Jayate2’ in Lucknow.

Things changed for him after he was featured in ‘Badri…’ as Varun Dhawan’s father with a new look. “Filmmaker Karan Johar and writer-director Shashank Khaitan suggested me to change my look. I was greying since I was 17. So, I sported my natural salt-and-pepper look with beard and that clicked. That fetched me TV commercials and new projects,” said the actor

Giving an insight on his stay here, he said, “I came here some 8-9 times in two months as I was also shooting for cricket-based film ‘Jersey’ starring Shahid Kapoor in Chandigrah-Dehradun. In ‘SJ2’, I am playing a negative role — a corrupt builder while in ‘Hastinapur’ I play an MLA.” Earlier too, he has shot TV show ‘Mujhe Chand Chahiye’ in Lucknow and has twice staged his play ‘Class of 84’.

After wrapping up projects here, he shot rom-com ‘Suswagatam Khushamadeed’ in Mumbai. “I am playing Pulkit Samrath’s father who is paired opposite Isabelle Kaif. Besides, I shot portions of OTT series ‘Guilty Mind’ and second season of ‘Hey Prabhu’.”

He has lot of projects to come that he has already shot. “Before the lockdown, I shot Ashu Trikha’s film ‘Hush’ in Shivpuri, MP and another supernatural thriller ‘Vash’ with newcomers that will release. My OTT projects ‘Bandish Bandits, ‘Tadap’, ‘Abhay’, ‘Never Kiss Your Best Friend’ and ‘Criminal Justice’ have worked very well. Besides, my short film ‘Painful Pride’, where I play Pallavi Joshi’s husband, got me a Best Actor Award at three film festivals.”

Summing up his journey he said, “I started with a children’s theatre group when I was 12 years old and at 17, I joined profession group of Barry John. I did theatre with him for 12 years, thereafter two English films, and in 1993, I did my first TV show and kept doing for 25 years. Now, it’s all about films and digital space.” His last TV shows were ‘Lado…’ and cameo in ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’.