Amar Upadhyay on quitting Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi for films: ‘I had no godfather who would guide me’

Amar Upadhyay was at the height of popularity when he decided to quit television to pursue his Bollywood dreams. He left the popular show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, in which he was playing Mihir Virani. The show went on to become one of the longest-running series on Indian television, while his career in films failed to take off.

In an interview, Amar said that he has no regrets about leaving television at the height of his popularity. He added that at that time, it seemed like the right decision and no one could have predicted what would happen.

Talking to The Times of India, Amar said, “I don’t regret anything. If I had not taken that decision, I would have always regretted not accepting films by great directors like JP Dutta. I did a film with Paresh Rawal ji, Waah Waah Ramji, then I did Dhundh The Fog, if I would have not accepted the offers, I would have definitely later regretted it. There were date issues and it was clashing, so I had to leave Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. I don’t regret taking that decision because for that particular time the decision was right. Nobody has seen the future so we can’t predict what is going to happen.”

Amar said that it was a ‘learning experience’ for him. “When I did those films, I did not know the future. The films did not work and the reason behind it could be any. Maybe my producers did not promote the film much, maybe I did not choose the films wisely. It was a learning experience for me and I feel till the time you don’t fall in life, you don’t gain experience and learn,” he said.

“Also, that time I had no godfather in films who would guide me. There was no one to guide me that I shouldn’t leave Kyunki for films or whether I was choosing the right scripts. I had to learn from my own experiences and failures,” he added.

Earlier this week, Amar’s new show Molkki premiered on Colors. The series is about a prevalent custom in Haryana, where due to the skewed sex ratio, brides are bought. He plays a widower named Virender, who marries an 18-year-old girl Purvi (Priyal Mahajan) through this bride buying custom.

In a press statement, Amar said, “The concept of Molkki is unique, powerful and something that has never been shown on television before. As Virender Pratap Singh, I am playing a larger than life character who is a powerful landowner and a sarpanch of 50 villages. He is a very strong and serious person whose life undergoes a drastic emotional change when Purvi comes into it.”

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