Shakti Arora, popular as Dr Onir of Pavitra Rishta and now Ranveer of Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi, is happy to be back on the small screen after a break. The actor says, “After Pavitra Rishta, I was busy anchoring shows. Meanwhile I was looking for good offers to come by, and was glad that Balaji called me again. I think they’re the only people who do justice to their characters in shows.”
Shakti has always been open about dating Tere Liye co-star Neha Saxena. He admits that playing the lead role in a show leaves him with no time to call or meet her for days together. He says, “The shoot takes a toll on you. I shoot for almost 12 hours everyday. Once home, I only sleep. Since the show has just started, we don’t have a bank of ideas either. Once we’re a few more months old, I hope things will get better. Besides, Neha isn’t doing a show at the moment. She’s anchoring events and scouting for better offers. So she gets bored at home. Unfortunately I can’t spend time with her.” The actor believes that though their stint in Tere Liye was short-lived, people still remember the couple for their chemistry.
But Shakti isn’t all whiny about the long hours he spends at work. He has a few positives to take home too. For one, he has lost a lot of extra pounds. “The long shoot schedules have helped me lose weight. Since I play a poor guy in the show, I lost nine kilos at the outset. Then I lost an additional six kilos during the shoot because meals are erratic on the sets and one hardly gets the time for a relaxed lunch or dinner. When I was on a break, I would indulge in junk food. I don’t have the time to do that now, and that seems to be a good thing,” he says.
That’s not the only change Shakti has made to his appearance. “Since I am shown to be very poor, I wear the most faded and worn out shirts and chappals. Even my hair is unkempt.” Apart from playing his character on screen, Shakti also plays a mentor to his co-star and newcomer Radhika Madan. “She has just made an entry into the television industry and is open to suggestions; so I try and help her out. We rehearse each scene before the take, so we get it right the first time itself. If I think she isn’t giving it her best, I stop her and we do the scene again.”
For Shakti, acting is something that runs in the family. His grandfather Chandrashekhar was an actor too. “I’ve seen filmi parties at my grandfather’s house from a very young age. I remember, how as a child, I was fascinated by the aura of filmstars. That’s when I wanted to be famous too. I remember telling myself, ‘pata nahi kitne papad belne padenge’. I was in showbiz initially only for the fame, and that’s when my auditions failed miserably. From then on I realised that I have to develop a deeper passion for acting. But I never asked my grandfather for any assistance or recommendations, despite his strong connections. Whatever I have earned today, is on my merit and credibility.”
