TV actor Abhinav Shukla prefers small roles over lead

New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) Television actor Abhinav Shukla, known for playing Dev in 'Geet...Hui Sabse Parayi', is happy doing small, but pivotal roles because he wants some time for himself as well.

'I can't work for 30 days at a stretch. Of the 30 days in a month, I want 10 days for myself and unfortunately as a lead in a TV serial you don't get that time because you are shooting everyday,' Abhinav told IANS in an interview.

'I choose roles where I do not have to devote a lot of time. Moreover, if people see me everyday on screen, they will get bored. You won't see me much on television, but whatever role I would do, it would be a pivotal role,' he added.

Abhinav hails from Ludhiana. While his father is a scientist, his mother teaches Hindi and Sanskrit and his brother is in the Indian Navy.

The actor himself is an electronics and communication engineer. After completing his graduation, Abhinav participated in Gladrags Model Hunt contest and he ended up featuring in the top five. Later, he took part in Grasim Mr India as well as Mr India World.

His made his acting debut with the 2007 SAB TV's show 'Jersey No. 10'. After that, he made brief appearances in serials like 'Jaane Kya Baat Hui', 'Choti Bahu', 'Geet..Hui Sabse Parayi' and most recently 'Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behena Hai'.

He is currently seen in Star Plus' adventure reality show 'Survivor India', and the actor admits that his 42-day stint in the show would make people aware of the real Abhinav.

'People know me as a TV actor but they don't know who the real Abhinav Shukla is. I wanted people to know that this is actually me.'

'Moreover, I wanted to challenge myself. I love putting myself in survival simulation. Whenever I get an off, I often go out for camping and thanks to my brother who has taught me all the survival skills,' he said.

Dealing with the people was more difficult on the show than dealing with the nature, he said and added: 'I am amazed to discover that I am a very patient guy. People shouted at me, but I didn't hit back because I didn't want to stoop to that level.'

'There were different kind of people - some were adapting and adjusting, some were perhaps not so physically strong, but they were good at logic. Some perhaps didn't understand logic, but they were hard working. But there were some who were completely useless,' he added.