Desi Hannah Montana 2

Red Chilies Idiot Box Entertainment and Disney India are back with Ishaan 2, which flags off on December 12 in the same slot as season one.

Teenager Tapasvi Mehta has what most artistes in films and TV don’t — a sequel to his first outing as an actor. Red Chilies Idiot Box Entertainment and Disney India are back with Ishaan 2, which flags off on December 12 in the same slot as season one.

Mehta, a student of class 12, is elated, “More than me, it’s my classmates, friends and family who are looking forward to this season. The previous season had 21 episodes and working with boys and girls of my age on those episodes was so much fun. We would bring our books to the sets, and study and shoot at the same time.”

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Given that his class 12-board exams are nearing, would he be carrying his notes this time too? “Yes, I’m already doing that. Shooting for Ishaan is not strenuous anyway. But parents get upset if we don’t study on just one or two days in a week. So, all of us in the cast make it a point to study during breaks,” says Mehta.

Ishaan, the story of a teenager who’s stuck between choosing his studies or music, ended with a rating of more than one point, one of the highest TRP for a kids’ show in recent times. Does Mehta feel the pressure of delivering better this time? “I don’t feel strained because I don’t understand these figures. I just know that the story moves a few steps ahead. Ishaan will be a more mature and sorted guy, ready to face life’s big challenges. And so, I have to ensure that I play my character convincingly,” says Mehta.

The show was expected to turn into a full-fledged feature film six months ago. When asked about the same, the actor says, “No, it was supposed to be a movie combining all the 21 episodes of the show. Some time ago the movie ran, after season one closed. Now, I’ve heard that the channel may run it just before season two starts to help viewers connect with season one and catch up on sequences they have missed out.”

Moving forward, the show is expected to feature a girlfriend in Ishaan’s life. So, has Mehta found one yet? “No no,” he laughs. “I don’t have the time for women. Trust me, you need too much patience to deal with them and a lot of time to spend on them. I have neither. So, I’m cool without a girlfriend!”