Mumbai: Versatile actor of small screen Saurav Raaj Jain who catapulted his career from the show ‘Remix’ but most loved by the people for his tremendous character as Krishna in ‘Mahabharat’ had tete-a-tete with one of our correspondent Nilofar Raqeem.
Nilofar: It was a coincident or you actually wanted to be an actor?
Saurav: well I was in second year of computer application and my friend was modelling in Delhi. We used to commute together from my home to college and back to home. That time friend asked me to go with him as he has some work, so I went with him for his audition. At that place Shrishti Behl was taking audition for show ‘Remix’. My friend gave his audition and then she saw me sitting outside and asked me for audition. I said I have no idea what to do, I have never been in front of camera. Actually even now I am very camera shy, I am not very camera friendly. Whatever she asked me I just did that. Two months later I got a call that I have been selected. Actually working on TV for any youngster is a very high thing. Even I had never thought that I would do something like this, I just thought of to give it a try and came to Mumbai, did ‘Remix’ and did my computer applications simultaneously. But somehow I was not able to give my all exams because of tight schedule of shoots and all. After doing ‘Remix’ I took a break for one year to complete my graduation and then I again started doing TV shows.
Nilofar: Is it true after doing ‘Remix’ you were facing problem in getting shows because of your height?
Saurav: Yes, it is true(laughing), I am 6.3 inch tall and in television medium you will witness mostly short girls like5.1, 5.2 inch. May they are not short but in comparison with me they are very short (laughing again). So because of that even if I would get finalized in audition, at the last they would reject me because the girl opposite me is so short that they thing there won’t be any chemistry. So because that several times I have faced rejection but it doesn’t bother me now because I feel whatever is meant for me will come to me.
Nilofar: You have been rejected many times because of your height then there is long list of show you worked in, what will you say about it?
Saurav: Main thing with was that when I started working again after a gap of one year, I did not think that I will do only one particular kind of thing like that if one I have been appeared as hero so I will only work as lead and will not do any other character. And prime reason for that was I had to financially support my own self. It was not that I was getting paid by my father my mother, I was totally on to myself. So for that I just had to work and whatever the character I got I did it with full honesty without thinking ‘I will not do this and that’.
Nilofar: You have opted different characters like comic role in ‘Akbar Birbal’, Villain in ‘Uttran’ and God in mythological shows. How did you manage to get so flexible?
Saurav: As an actor I cannot be just one character all my life. In fact I have seen on television, an actor who has been appeared as hero in first serial and he is hero in present also and he is the same hero all throughout. I don’t see myself in this category, I have to do various different things. It’s quite boring to do same thing over and again. I am thankful that I have got different character to do.
Nilofar: How difficult did you find to learn shloks and explain it while playing Krishna in ‘Mahabharat’?
Saurav: Playing Krishna was a huge responsibility for me more than anything. Some characters come up with lots of responsibility, so role of Krishna was a responsibility for me. I had to make sure of everything because for It’s not a character for people, for them it is a god on screen. So when you think from that point of view then whatever you get to play you just put in your best. Before three days I was given ‘Geeta Saar’ and I just knew that I have to learn it all and put it in myself then only it will happen. At the same time I also feel that Krishna’s part mostly I always use to say ‘Jo kuch keena tu keena…. mei kuch keena naahi’, that whatever is been done is done by you and I don’t do anything. I put in my concentration in learning those lines and then I feel myself free and thing would just happen.
Nilofar: I heard somewhere that you say ‘In real life also I talk like God?
Saurav: No, not at all, you sometimes what happens, you say certain thing and only sentence come up with headlines, even I have read some articles like this about myself. Whatever the tagline says, you actually don’t mean it.
Well the TV icon has also did Telugu movie with the superstar of south Akkineni Nagarjuna that is all set to hit screen this year.
