Vijayendra Kumeria, of Udaan fame, is hopeful that his entry in the Star Bharat Muslim social, Sufiyana Pyaar Mera, will lift its numbers. This Helly Shah double role saga has never taken off on the ratings front. No wonder the makers (Danish Javed and Prateek Sharma) have brought in a new male lead, with a view to spice up things.
“My greyish character has entered the mix with a deliberate intention, which will change the plot on its head. Why don’t you watch to find out more?” says Vijayendra, who has done several other shows such as Choti Bahu, Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara and Shastri Sisters, etc.
Interestingly, here Vijayendra is playing an urban Hindu character, “So I did not need to learn Urdu and other Muslim customs that the other cast members had to imbibe. Our show will now become a secular show, with the entry of my Hindu family,” added he.
So does this mean that you will have a Hindu-Muslim love story? And won’t this raise a few eyebrows in today’s highly polarized times?
“I have just entered, so don’t know what the story entails. But rest assured, our writers will not do anything that is illogical and inappropriate.”
For the moment, Vijayendra has not yet really got to work with Helly, “As most of our scenes are combination scenes. It does take time to break the ice, but luckily for me, the entire friendly cast has made me feel very much at home.”
In closing, we ask him frankly, given the low numbers, whether he fears that if TRPs don’t perk up soon, the channel might consider yanking the show off air.
“Well, I don’t really factor in ratings while choosing a show. For me, what my character does is more important. Having said that, if the show has to end, it will. We can just do our best”.
“Critical facets such as script, timing etc., which decide a show’s fate, are beyond my remit as an actor.”