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Twice as nice!
Indraneil and Barkha get set for Sooraj Barjatya's reincarnation saga on Star.
Shirin Abbas
If you hadn't had enough of the dreamy eyes, the wicked smile and the overdose of romance, get set for a double dose. Yes, dreamboat
Indraneil Sen Gupta, the model who wooed Sheetal Mallar with elan in the Indigo Marina ad is playing male lead against Barkha Bisht in Sooraj Barjatya's latest television serial— Pyaar Ke Do Naam, Ek Raadha Ek Shyaam which makes a small screen debut from April 3 next.
In Lucknow on a promotional visit, Indraneil and Barkha spoke to Express Newsline about their new serial and other interests. While Barkha is already a veteran of several Balaji (read K) serials, it's a shaky first for Indraneil who admits to hoping he flunked the auditions even as the Barjatya's were finalising their lead for the serial.
"My first priority was and is the big screen but I wanted to do certain kind of films only. You could say I didn't like the roles I got and didn't get the roles I liked, so turned to the small screen." The model turned actor says he deliberately quoted an astronomical amount to the Barjatyas hoping that would make them turn him down. "But they said yes and it was largely financial gains which drew me to the role. That and the fact that the total serial revolves around two characters— both of which I was playing."
This Ahmedabad boy chucked his marketing job and landed in Mumbai with very little in his pocket to match the big dreams in his head, but had a lucky start with ad campaigns that made him a favourite. "Earlier I had made it to the top five in the Gladrags Manhunt contest. I did a lot of ads that showed off my toned physique to an advantage, earning me the nickname of the 'Salman Khan of the modellling world.' This role will give me a chance to show my acting prowess as well."
So is he even half as romantic as he is seen on screen with Sheetal?
"Nope. I am a typical Virgo— a very practical, real person, lots of unsaid, unexpressed emotions. It's just that women assume I am very romantic after seeing that ad," he admits.
Playing romantic lead with Indraneil should be lucky for Barkha Bisht, an ardent Salman Khan fan. If it's not the real man, she can have his counterpart from the modellling world. "As I see it, I am playing my first lead role in TV with the Barjatyas and Salman Khan made his screen debut with them too. I think this sould prove lucky for me," says the petite girl, seen before in teleserials like Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi, Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and more lately Kavyanjali. "My role in this serial is very different from any other that I have played. It is an out and out love story based around a reincarnation— something we haven't really seen on television and the fact that it is the Barjatyas behind it, makes it al the more important for me." the lass admits.
This youngest of three siblings Barkha was born in Dehradun but has spent a considerable part of her life in Pune. She admits she has delivered a surprise package for her family through her choice of career but still retains the position of fav maasi with her ten-year-old nephew. Speaking on her camaraderie with her male co-actor, Barkha says while initially she found Indraneil a little reserved and even snobbish, she later realised he was a person of very strong likes and dislikes and is glad she features on the former list.
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