He had it all planned from an early age to realise to his dream of becoming a performer in the entertainment industry. Hailing from a small town, Maski, in Raichur — known for its archeological findings, Aryan Raj, a model-turned-actor has been the reel face of mythological characters on the small screen. He has now bagged the lead role in the hit tele-serial Ughe Ughe Madeshwara on Zee Kannada, replacing the child artiste as the grown up Madeshwara. He speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about his love for epic roles along with his movies and his three-year- old modelling career.
“Coming from a place like Maski, I had big dreams. I am the only one in my entire family to have entered this industry. First, it was my interest which pushed me to do school plays and participate in every possible stage show. It eventually turned it into a passion, but I made sure I had a strong academic background as a back up. I pursued mechanical engineering and soon found out that modelling was the best way to start, as it helps to groom oneself. I did modelling for over three years before I got my first small screen break in Hara Hara Mahadeva, portraying the mythological character of Lord Vishnu, which brought me immense fame and popularity,” says Aryan.
However, the actor had to struggle through his initial days as model. He shares, “It was indeed a tough phase as new models would hardly get decent pay, and I crawled through first six months before I fortunately started getting good projects with a fair amount of remuneration. In between, I did a movie and then I was approached for the mythological serial. My background as a Kannada medium student during school days helped me effectively portray the mythological character. Thereafter, I did a similar role in another mythological serial called Jai Hanuman,” he adds.
When questioned about his love for mythological roles, he explains that unlike regular dramas, tele audience appreciates an artiste’s performance in such roles.
“It has its own share of fame and longevity, and hence I prefer to portray them on a priority basis though I am flexible for other kinds of ventures. I was delighted and equally thrilled when Mahesh Sukhadhare sir offered me the lead role of Madeshwara in Uge Uge Madeshwara. Until now, a child artiste was portraying for it and now I will be continuing as the grown up Madeshwara. The mythological God has so many devotees across the globe but till date no movie or serial was made. Playing Madeshwara will be a challenge task as it has different variations unlike any typical mythological character. I have to portray as a normal human, and also as the God,” says Aryan, who had to physically transform himself by shedding weight to play the role of Mahadeshwara.
As he wishes to be recognised as a performer on both the small and big screen, he concludes saying that his movie Mirror, for which he has completed the shoot is ready for release and Aryan is hopeful of getting better opportunities in films thereafter.
