I don't have to consciously try not to ape my father & rather be myself - Aditya Rawal on father Paresh Rawal

Actor Adtiya Rawal comes into the entertainment industry with quite a tall act to follow. His father is none other than the legendary Paresh Rawal. But with Aditya himself, the actor seems rather sorted when it comes to living up to his father's legacy and his opinion on the same.

Still relatively new in the business, Aditya is now gearing himself up for his digital debut with Disney+ Hostar's Aar Ya Paar. With the show, the actor plays an entirely different character than one can anticipate.

In an exclusive conversation with us, we asked him about multiple things ranging from his choice for digital debut to living up to his father's legacy and other things.

Was it a conscious call to debut in a web show with a role like this or it turned to be an organic decision?

I don't necessarily factor the fact that this is the first web project I am working in or so. I just saw it as an opportunity to dive into an incredibly novel world created by the fantastic Sidharth Sengupta, whose work we all love. I saw it as a chance to work with such fine actors like Sumeet Sir (Vyas), Patralekhaa, Dibyendu Bhattacharya Sir etc. Those were the things I took into consideration more than anything else.

Do you feel your role of Sarju already lets you become so liberal as an actor even as you are still relatively new to the acting world?

If you are asking if it is a dive off into the deep end, most definitely. I think it is a rather challenging role to play. Not only because, he is so different than I am and has grown up in a way which is different than I have; but also because the emotional journey he takes and all the changes he undergoes - all those things presented a rather unique challenge - mainly because how different this world was. It was an enjoyable and enlightening experience - one that will help me as an actor. 

I don't have to consciously try not to ape my father and rather be myself

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What was the biggest challenge you faced while playing the role?

Plenty. I think one of the bigger challenges was when Sarju enters the city for the first time. As actors, it is our job to work on impulses in a manner as if it is happening for the first time. In this case, this challenge was multiplied by ten because everything was new for this character - whether it is a car, a building or anything. How do you deal with something like that. You do leave a lot on to the director but it was a very interesting challenge to portray and one that I learned a lot from.

Carrying the legacy you do, how do you wish to distinguish your own acting journey from that of your father?

Again, the conscious call is not to be different from but is to be true to yourself. If you do that, you are already being yourself. I don't have to consciously try not to ape my father and rather be myself; hence then I will hopefully be on a path I want to be. It might not be as amazing as my father's but one can hope that it becomes good for me.

What are your hopes/aspirations for the big screen?

I don't necessarily look at it like that. Also because, my first film, Bamfaad came out on an OTT platform and it meant that a lot of people could see it. Perhaps more than it could have if it came out in cinemas. Hence, I don't pay any mind to if the film is going to have a theatrical release or an OTT release. For me, there are two things - I want to be able to enjoy the character and story to be a part of it and secondly, as many people as possible should see it - else there is no fixation.

We wish the actor all the best for his debut in the web world.