I dont know if this has already been posted before..
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Aditi😳
Talking to the new Don
A starry-eyed young man coming to Mumbai with dreams of making it in Bollywood - this is by no means an uncommon sight. It has been the storyline for innumerable films, and so the city did not belt out any preferential treatment to the handsome Parmeet Sethi. A television show, Diljale, gave him his first break. He followed this up with the hit series, Dastaan. Viewers began noticing him, but not enough to land him a hero's role. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge saw him share the screen with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The wannabe star was happy, but not as much as he would be with the lead role. Pop the same question to him today, and he responds, "I have no regrets of not making it big as a hero. I am happy at what I have achieved as a character artiste." He has reason to be happy. A heavily promoted and much-hyped primetime serial with him as the central character has just hit the screen. Parmeet plays Detective Onkar Nath, a.k.a. D.O.N.
Speaking to us at the launch party of his Star One serial, he says: "Though I am not sure why such a name was chosen for the serial, I must admit [the letter] 'D' has been very lucky for me - be it Diljale or DDLJ."
Sethi plays a detective who uses brainpower more than brawn. "It's more of a mind-game than a physical encounter between the protagonist and antagonist. Detective Omkar Nath is a jack of all trades and solves real life problems that people face in daily life." The promos seem to suggest that D.O.N. is on the lines of Karamchand - with loads of humour in the case-solving lifecycle. However, Sethi denies it. "Seeing the promos, one does get a feeling that this has a lot of comedy, but let me tell you that it is not the case. "D.O.N. does don many disguises, but that is merely to arrive at the root of a problem. You will also see me talking in different languages. These are all integral parts of the storyline."
Did he have to take up special language training? "Television doesn't offer you the luxury of time. It has to be instant and completely based on your instinct. I have shot for about nine episodes and my family have all liked it. Hopefully, viewers will also express similar thoughts." Sethi narrates an interesting incident that happened to him a day before. "I had to don the disguise of a dabbawallah and, after the shooting, was waiting for the elevator in a building without changing my costume. A group of office goers pushed me aside and stopped me from taking the elevator before them!" "I was upset at their discriminatory treatment, at first, but then realized that my makeup must have been so realistic that they didn't recognize me as an actor. I then felt happy about it!"
He is thoroughly enjoying his stint on the small screen.
"I developed an interest in dancing after taking part in Nach Baliye." Sethi and his actress wife Archana Puran Singh gave a fantastic performance in the popular celebrity dance show. And though they didn't win, they drew a lot of accolades. "That is probably when Star One decided on me for their new serial," says Sethi, whose character as Armaan's friend in Jassi made him scale new heights on the popularity charts. Does he have any regrets at leaving Jassi? He plays it safe answering the question. "Let bygones be bygones. I was required during the initial days of the serial and played my part to the best of my ability. I didn't see any scope for my role, so I decided to part ways from the project."
What next for the father of two? "Baabul - a Ravi Chopra film. I play a negative role. The shooting has been postponed due to Amitabh Bachchan's health and will resume once he recovers." Being the popular actor he is, Parmeet admits to liking his privacy. Which explains why he took his family and shifted from stressful Mumbai to the serene surroundings of adjoining Madh Island. He is not only happy to be away from the maddening crowd, but also wants the rest of his film fraternity to shift there.
Edited by currentchaos - 18 years ago
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