‘I didn’t quit Kyunki.. for a film’

Actor Amarr Upadhyay on his comeback on TV and upcoming films, interviewed by Anil Merani.

Amarr Upadhyay on his comeback on TV and upcoming films, interviewed by

HT Image

Anil Merani

.

Weren’t you supposed to make your comeback on TV with

Maa

?

Yes, but the show was delayed following the workers’ strike. It may now air early next year. I only have a 19-episode cameo. I’ll put the show on the road and then say goodbye.

What’s happening in

Chand ke Paar Chalo

?

Oh, I play the publisher of a fashion magazine in that one, a shrewd businessman. Vivan Bhatena is my step-brother, a happy-go-lucky flirt with no business skills. I try to marry him off to the daughter of a tycoon for my own

faayda

.

Initially,

Chand ke Paar Chalo

revolved around childhood sweethearts. Won’t the viewers tune out?

I’ve always believed that good content will have takers.

How’s your production house, Haat, faring?

Red File, which I’m producing for Doordarshan has been delayed following the recession. We’ve finally got the green signal and hope to launch in March. I’m also in talks with another channel for

Ghar Jamai 420.

Will you act in both these shows?

I don’t have the time. Besides

Chand ke Paar..

I have two films coming up. One is Anees Bazmi’s

So Far In My Life

with Harman Baweja and Nana Patekar. The other is

13 B

produced by Adlabs.

Why don’t we see you on any reality show?

Such shows require a lot more involvement. Also, reality TV means more exposure which isn’t such a good idea if you’re serious about the movies.

Was it a smart move to quit

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi

for a movie career? Mihir Virani had become a household name.

I’d like to make it very clear that I didn’t quit

Kyunki..

for a film. I quit because I didn’t want to be a part of the generation leap.

When I left

Kyunki..

I had

Dhund: The Fog

in hand. Ekta (Kapoor) always knew I wanted to act in films. She also replaced me in

Kalash

because at that time I was busy with

LOC

.

I don’t blame her because Balaji Telefilms has a tight shooting schedule. I had no other shows in hand and decided to concentrate on my film career.. I had three movie offers then.

Will you work with Ekta Kapoor again?

Sure, we have no issues. But maybe not right-away since I have my hands full. Earlier, she had offered me cameos in

Kasauti Zindagi Kay

and

Kkusum

, both of which I took up.

Your film career never took off.

I blame it on bad timing.

Dhundh

was released during the World Cup in 2003. Apoorva Agnihotri and I tried to convince the producers to push back the release, in vain. Later, when the film was aired on TV, I got calls asking about its theatrical release.

Just before

Dhund

opened, I lost my mother. It was a grim time for me. I went into depression and was in no position to work. I let go off a few good films and anchoring offers.

You came back with

Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand

..

Yes, Aroona

ji

(Irani) signed me after Varun Badola quit. The TRPs were very high following my double role. I did

Virasat

too.

Which didn’t do well

.

It was doing well on Star Plus. Then it was shifted to Star One and the 9 pm slot on Star Plus was given to

Kaun Banega Crorepati 3

hosted by Shah Rukh Khan. Moving it to Star One killed the soap.

If your upcoming films click, will you quit TV again?

If my films work, cinema will be my priority. But it would be silly to quit TV. I will always remain associated with the medium. After all, I received my film offers thanks to the fact that I was Mihir Virani.

Dekh Bhai Dekh

to

Chand ke Paar Chalo

.. what have you learnt in the years since?

One needs excellent PR skills to survive here. And you can’t throw attitude. I’m glad I’ve understood this, it will help me as a producer and an actor.