'I feel more relaxed playing Abhay' - Vishal Karwal

Vishal Karwal has already found place in millions of hearts portraying himself as Vinay in COLORS' Bhagyavidhaata. Now he is capturing another million in his new and fresh romantic hero outlook as Abhay in Rishton Se Badi Pratha.

Tellybuzz had a chat with this handsome hunk on his new show, the concept and his experiences.

Many stories have been told about family rivalry and the love stories related to that; so what new is there to offer in Pratha?
This show is specifically on honour killing and most of the families practice this if you go up in North. There is a lot of gender inequality over there where the girls are not allowed to step out of the house for work or even to study.  So, people who love each other and dream of getting married, never happen to unite and they undergo a lot of torture that end up in murder too for the repute of the family. So the whole story is about that and the issue is raised through the show. We are trying to portray a picture where boys are allowed to live their life on their terms, girls are not.  

You were not the first choice for the show and the promos had also been aired with the other actor; so were you apprehensive about taking up a character like this?
I was already doing Bhagyavidhata when the team started casting for Pratha and I took off from Bhagyavdhata because of some personal reasons. That's when the channel offered Pratha and for me it is one of the biggest achievements that the channel wanted me to do another show.

You had got a lot many offers from other shows, how did COLORS convince you to take up the show?
Yeah there were a lot many offers that were coming my way but they were all the usual Saas Bahu dramas which I was not interested in being a part of. I wanted to do something that had an input to give to the people and I waited for the right show. At the same time I had waited for a show that is supposed to come on Colors but that never happened. And that's when Pratha was offered to me and I thought this is another show that I can prove myself.

What attracted you to do Rishton Se Badi Pratha?
Obviously the first thing that attracted me was the fact that it is another show that is coming up with Colors TV and most of the shows on Colors have been really good so far. I was already doing a show for the channel and I thought why to go anywhere else. The channel is like a second home for me and I know everyone from the channel and the people around.

How is the experience of acting with senior actors in your show?
It has been great till now with all the senior actors. I remember when I started off with Bhagyavidhatha, I never considered myself an actor because I had no experience in theater and acting and all my co-actors  went out of their way to help me after which I felt so secured on the sets. And it is the same here in Pratha too and I respect everyone and actors like Zeb Khan and Ranjan are tremendous with whom you can learn, just by looking at them and I always believed that if you want to learn you should always observe, be it in films or in television.

Any memorable experience during the shoot that you can share with us
It happened when we were shooting the promos at India Gate and we packed up around 8:30 in the night and I went for partying after that at 11 pm. But the next day we had to shoot at 7 wherein I had reached after the party at 6:15. The director asked me to put on my makeup and get ready as soon as I arrived and he was explaining the scene to me and it took around 10 to 15 seconds for me to get into the scene and realize what I am supposed to do. But finally the promos came out really well. Also the experience of shooting outside Birla Mandir was great because it was 26/11 and there was high security wherein people are not allowed to take in cameras. 

How do you differentiate your character Abhay in Pratha from Vinay in Bhagyavidhata?
Vinay was a person who was not scared of his family and did what he wanted to do in his life, but ended up getting kidnapped and forced to marry Bindiya. Hence it is a story of two people who do not love each other and are forcefully bonded in the relationship of marriage. And the relationship that we portrayed there was different wherein I did not like the girl initially but later fell in love with.  But in Pratha, Abhay is already in love with Surbhi and is scared of his family which makes the character completely opposite to Vinay.

What were the challenges when you took up Pratha?
I feel this one is more relieved and Bhagyavidhata more challenging because I had to work on the Bihari dialect in the show which was tough. But Abhay is a 25 year old guy who is very chilled out and I could easily relate myself to with him. I did not have to work on the dialect because he is a guy from Delhi and the language comes natural to me. And also in Pratha I am a very romantic guy and I don't really have to struggle very hard on that aspect too.

How is your experience with Shalini Chandran?
It has been excellent; she is a very sweet girl and looks pretty and very cooperative and understanding.  

Your chemistry with Richa Soni has been very much appreciated in Bhagyavidhata, how has been the rapport with her and now with Shalini?
I am very comfortable with Shalini and Richa, I had a very professional relationship where we never used to hangout.  But Shalini and I go for partying and watch movies together and we share a very informal relationship. Also at times we correct ourselves.

The time slot of the show is 7:30 so do you think that can affect the TRPs?
I think that primetime slot is gradually changing because if you see the TRPs of Sasural Genda Phool, the TRPs have gone up to 5 and above and that slot is at 7:30. So I think people will watch the show if they have to offer something that is good.

Reporter and Author: Saranya Valsarajan