Vishal Vashishtha is satisfied with the initial journey of his new Star Bharat show, Jai KanhaiyaLal Ki.
“I have always wanted to play a comic character. As audiences watch us every day, it is better to keep it light-hearted.”
Here, Vishal admitted, “Although my character is inspired by Bawarchi and Biwi Number 1, as accepted by us, the wider story is different. Kanhaiyaha’s back story, which makes him endeavor to bring all Daali’s (Shweta Bhattacharya) family members together. Our core audience is family; hence, we try to propagate joint family values.”
Vishal, who has been around for four or five years (Crazy Stupid Ishq, Veera, Ganga, etc.)says, “This is just the start. I am confident that Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki will run for a long time. Once it wraps up, I will try to do more self-grooming. The more skills an actor imbibes, the better it is.”
Ask him about his last show, Jaat Ki Jugni, which had shut shop in quick time, and he says, “Yes, it did hurt, for we all worked hard, putting in a grueling 15-20 days outdoor schedule. But I guess somethings are destined.”
How is it, working with yourco-stars? “Most of them, i.e. Shweta, Dipankar De (dadaji) and Rupanjana Mitra (Sandhya), are from my home town of Kolkata. Being Bengalis, they have issues with Hindi grammar. So we have a diction coach on set, who helps them on the way. Even my control over the lingua franca of India has got better.”
He is also happy that Star Bharat is doing well. “I started checking up on this new STAR network channel once I knew we would be on it. The entire cast is working very hard to make sure that our show also does well, just like the others (Kya Haal Mr Panchaal) on the channel.”
In closing, while lamenting that there is nothing much on Indian TV to experiment, he said, “I will satisfy myself with doing human characters that are quite complicated in themselves.”
Vishal is also game for doing web series.“I like this new format, as it is closer to reality. ”
He also has no qualms about doing bold characters,“As long as it is required by the script and not just added to titillate or s*x up things.”
