ANGAD HASIJA SCALES A NEW HIGH
[01 Dec 2008]
IF I WERE MARRIED, I WOULD MAKE EVERYONE MEET MY WIFE
To portray the character of a child trapped in the body of a grown-up is no mean feat, especially when you have the appearance of a stud. Convincing depictions of schizophrenic, mentally-challenged and vulnerable male characters by men on Indian television have been extremely rare. Varun Badola first did a credible job in Koshish Ek Asha, and was followed years later by the likeable Sharad Malhotra who did something similar in Dulhann and won accolades.
Today, Angad Hasija, known more famously as the schizophrenic Alekh from Sapna Babul Ka' Bidaai is playing one of the most challenging, mentally-exhaustive roles on television, where always the strong-willed Tulsis and Parvatis have been ruling the roost.
Born and brought up in Chandigarh, this Punjabi munda has the looks, demeanour and talent, all put together to make the young, old and even the disinterested to sit up and take notice. It's his incredible destiny that has led him all the way from Punjab to the big glamour city of Mumbai and when you read about his journey, even you would admit that he has got to thank his good stars.
"I was doing interior designing in Punjab, where I used to design bungalows, hotels and offices. As a family business, we have a showroom of Italian paintings and decorations, which I used to also handle along with my mom. One day, we got the offer to sponsor the modelling event, Mr. North. When people saw me, they asked me to participate in it. At that time, I wasn't really interested. But it was my mother who asked them to take me and there they gave me a 15-day training after which I actually won the pageant."
Everything after that happened in hurry and it seemed almost dream-like to Angad. It was that win that led him to gain interest into the world of modelling and subsequently acting. Soon he was a part of fashion shows and music videos, especially the latter. "I have done 50 Punjabi music videos and most of them are hits," he states with pride.
So you must be wondering, how did a Punjabi music video star from a small town land up doing mainstream soap operas on prime time television? During his modelling days in Chandigarh, Angad was offered a film role, for which he had to come down to Mumbai, to shoot. It was an exciting turn in his life and so he decided to shift to the island city.
"At that time, I really didn't know that there were A-grade and B-grade kind of films. I was just happy that I was going to act in a film. But unfortunately, the film which I signed was a B-grade one and it was never made due to financial crunches." With starry-eyed dreams of making a mark in Bollywood, Angad was left to help himself in the big city, where he continued doing modelling assignments to earn a living.
It was a co-ordinator friend who made him meet the director of 'Bidaai, Rajan Shahi. "When I went to meet Rajan, they were auditioning people for the role of Alekh. So my friend asked him if I could audition too. But when Rajan saw me, he was shocked. They wanted an innocent looking boy and here I was with long hair, grungy looks and a beefed-up body!
He told my friend, 'This man is a stud; how can he play Alekh?' Even I thought what he said was right and wanted to return. But my friend was adamant and he made me cut my hair short, remove my stubble, dressed me up in simple clothes and presented me in front of Rajan Shahi again. This time when he saw me, he was completely flabbergasted. And then I was asked to audition for Alekh's role."
The rest, as they say, is history. Angad was called and informed that he had been selected and on the same day, he was asked to report on the sets to shoot. It was his destiny that led him to play the lead on television's most popular show right now.
He maybe adored as Alekh today, but initially, it wasn't easy for Angad to play his character to the T. "I was a body-builder, and Sara (Khan) whom I am cast opposite, is petite. So I was asked to reduce my weight in one week's time. It wasn't easy to cut down in such a short spell and I went on a crash diet. It was horrible dieting. I stopped eating lunch, dinner and was on juices and fruits. But I would have done anything for the role."
For him, it was a dream role. Considering where he came from, he was ready to do anything to get good work. And his first show 'Bidaai, was a sure-shot ticket to success.
As much as we like him on the screen, Angad himself loves every moment of playing the naive Alekh and raves about it. "It's the best role I could have asked for. I had got many other offers but I always wanted to do something different and challenging. When I heard about this character for the first time, I desperately wanted to do it."
Crash dieting, changing his entire lifestyle and shooting long hours became a part of his life when he started off. "I wanted to just prove myself. 'Bidaai is a big project so there was always this pressure on me to perform well. For the first whole month of shooting, I couldn't sleep at all due to the responsibility," he reminisces.
In real life, Angad has been linked to his on-screen partner, Sara Khan who plays the role of his wife Sadhana in 'Bidaai. Now Sara is dating Ali Merchant, but there were strong rumours of them being a couple. Angad dismisses them instantaneously and talks about Sara.
"It is a norm for people to link up the lead pair in any show, thinking that there would be something going on between the two, especially if both of them are single. At that time, both Sara and I were single, so that's why such rumours started.
But there is no truth to them. Besides, Sara is just 18 and too young for me," he says. And it wasn't only Sara; there is also the other young lead in the show, Parul Chauhan, whom he was linked with. Angad laughs as he tells me, "Once Sara started dating Ali, the focus shifted on Parul and then we were linked because she is also single!"
Of all the speculations, perhaps the most bizarre rumour that one must have heard about Angad is that he is married. There is never any smoke without fire. We find out if there is any truth to this. "What are you saying? I am hearing something like this for the first time!" he exclaims and breaks into fits of laughter. Regaining his posture, he clears the air. "I am not married at all. I am just 23 years old. If I were married, I would make everyone meet my wife," he adds coyly.
Moving on from the absurd rumours that he gets to hear about himself, Angad talks about not doing any other show on television besides 'Bidaai, in spite of being popular amongst the masses. It's not like he isn't getting good offers from other production houses. Due to his contract, he cannot take up any other show. But Angad is not even complaining. In fact, he is more than happy with Alekh's role and considers his plate full to the brim. "I would rather concentrate on just one show."
What if he gets a good offer from someone like Ekta Kapoor? "I won't work with her," he says, and then hastily adds to prevent making any detrimental comments, "I mean, right now, I want to create an image. I will work with other production houses too, but not now. Recently I was also offered a lead role in a film, from a good banner. But I didn't take it up. I can speak to the producers of 'Bidaai about the contract as they are very accommodating, but I don't need to do that right now."
It's hard to believe the timid, soft-spoken and friendly Angad when he confesses to me that he doesn't have a girlfriend. "I am busy with my work at the moment. You know, I was offered the reality show, Nach Baliye 4, but I couldn't take it up even though I love dancing as I didn't have a baliye. But I don't want to date just for the heck of taking part in it," he puts it simply. Like his career, he would rather trust his love life too in the hands of his blessed fortunes.
*BY PURVAJA SAWANT
https://stardust.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3226&Itemid=224
https://india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1083826 Edited by pinkykhan - 15 years ago
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