At a time when the supernatural genre runs supreme on TV, Gaurav Chopraa claims that his upcoming (22nd June) Zee show, Ek Shakti…Ek Aghori, will herald a new genre.
“Our superhero template has not been tried much before on desi telly. There was Shaktiman, but he was more like Superman i.e. the nerdy guy suddenly comes into his own, wearing a cape.”
“My character in Aghori, with his very distinct Indian look (long beard, long hair, holding a trishul and damroo in his hand) follows the new superhero template, where there is an attempt to humanize the hero. He is someone who, while fighting to save the world, has his own struggles and backstory too.”
Here Gaurav adds, “This Essel Vision Productions will break false notions that aghoris are just Naga sadhus with ash sprayed all over their bodies. Rather, a true aghori is someone who has been able to overcome the barriers between self and others, to be able to selflessly heal and cleanse others.”
Talking about the body language, Gaurav says, “I have really worked on myself internally. Although we don’t show it, my mannerisms reflect someone who has done non-human levels of penance to be able to activate his chakras (attain supernatural powers).”
“If you remember, I had dubbed for Thor, so I understand what western fantasy creative teams want. Let me clarify that I am not comparing both the products, for the former was worth billions of dollars. But yes, the essence and theme is same.”
Gaurav, who had taken a break from TV after Bigg Boss, trying web series in the interim (Love Lust and Confusion and Fourplay) says, “It was not a deliberate decision to stay away from the tube. Just that for a while I was not getting something fresh. I did not want to do one more version of Rathod (Utttaran).”
“Web on the other hand gave me the above contrasting and different roles. An actor should always showcase his/her versatility. Aghori again is poles apart from what Rahil does in Love Lust and Confusion.”
“At this stage in my career, I also don’t want to limit myself to any particular medium, be it TV, web or cinema. I want to do good work, period. It can even be on nukkad theatre, for all I care.”