Talented youngster Abrar Qazi who portrays the lead role of the street-smart and aggressive Raghu in Colors’ Gathbandhan (Jay Productions) is happy to have got into the television medium through this show.
Abrar who shot to fame with the movie Laila Majnu has ventured into the web space with ALTBalaji’s The Family Man and an episodic for a Culture Machine series.
Playing the role of Raghu a character that is as different as chalk and cheese to his real life persona has been a challenge for the young lad.
Says Abrar, “In real life, I am the very silent and patient guy. But my character is always over-the-top, energetic and aggressive. I love to portray this role because of this total difference.”
Abrar became quite a movie buff as he prepared for the role in the show. “I have watched as many films as I could to help me grow in the character. I watched mostly the roles where the lead guy is street-smart and the typical tapori. The most impressive of all was Sanjay Dutt in the movie Munna Bhai MBBS. The basic idea behind watching these movies was to observe and learn the manner in which such guys operate in their lives.”
The young lad who hails from Jammu and Kashmir has always harboured aspirations of becoming an actor. “With this Marathi setup show being totally different from the culture I have been brought up in, I had to put in a lot of thought and learning into the way they talk and their basic mannerisms. I also took Marathi lessons to learn the proper diction and dialect. To tell you, the learning process will go on till the show goes on. Above all, with Sonali Mam (Sonali Naik, his onscreen mom) being on set, she has taken the responsibility of tutoring me.”
Ask him about the amazing onscreen chemistry that he shares with Sonali and he is quick to say, “It is the same way both onscreen and off the screen. She is wonderful and helps me in all ways possible. She also gets me food (smiles).”
Talking about co-actor Shruti Sharma Abrar quips, “She is a very nice person, very grounded in thoughts. We both sail in the same boat with this show being our first on TV. So we connect a lot and discuss our work regularly.”
Abrar likes the fact that his character Raghu is very unpredictable and has the power to attract audiences. As per him, the selling factors in the show are its characters. “Sonali Mam, Shruti and my characters are very strong. All the three have different aspirations, shades. They are filled with emotion and are different personalities. This is why our show does not have a villiain as such.”
He wants to work hard towards his goal of achieving big things in life. “I want to put down my head and work hard. There is no room for distraction, and being humble is the key to success.”
Way to go, Abrar. Wish you best of luck!!
