He’s talented, good looking and is presently winning applauses for his performance as the lead of Zee TV’s Aisi Deewangi Dekhi Nahi Kahi.
We are talking about the handsome Pranav Misshra, who has come up and bagged the limelight with his perseverance, sincerity and dedication to his craft.
In an exclusive interview with IndianWikiMedia.com, Pranav talks about his journey in the industry, his big break with Aisi Deewangi and also about himself… Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself…
I am from Jaipur, Rajasthan. I am a Post Graduate in Finance Control. I am the youngest in my family. Acting has been a passion from my childhood. I used to perform at the school annual functions and programs from Class 3 and 4th grades. Later on, I participated in Mr. Jaipur and won it. At Mr. Rajasthan competitions, I was awarded as the Best Personality. Slowly and gradually, I started doing ramps but that did not bring happiness to me. I was in the limelight, but there was no creative satisfaction. Then I joined theatre, and started enjoying acting. At that point, I realized that more than being in the limelight, acting is what matters and is important. So this brought me to Mumbai in the year 2012. I have been in Mumbai from 2012 and I am enjoying this phase as actor.
So how were your initial days in Mumbai?
Well, after being brought up in a very protective way, it was great to explore the ‘Mayanagari’ Mumbai. There were days when I used to travel for nearly 100 kms daily to reach Andheri. We had our relatives in Boisar and my parents wanted me to stay there as I was very young. So I used to come all the way to Andheri to look for opportunities. I used to make sure and convince people to take my auditions. I got my first break on Sony TV with Kya Hua Teraa Vada where I played the boy friend of Sargun Mehta. I then signed the Endemol show on MTV, TimeOut. After this, I got another offer from Balaji Telefilms, and I played the younger brother of Akbar, Mirza Hakim. This was a good role for me. I got Naagin after this and then a parallel lead role in DD1’s Albeli Kahaani Pyaar Ki. I got another MTV show, Girls on Top wherein the Creative Producer was Palki Mam (Malhotra). This is where I got noticed by Palki Mam and when she started as the Creative Producer for Aisi Deewangi Dekhi Nahi Kahi, she considered me for the lead role. I got this role mostly because of Palki ma’am.
So you have been in the industry for quite a long time…
Yes, I have worked a lot in the industry, but I did not get the recognition that I deserved. Nobody was taking notice of me much till the time Aisi Deewangi happened. The best part of this show is that it is a solo hero show. It is a passionate love story and I got this role on a platter. I was so happy, overwhelmed and excited when I got this role. Aisi Deewangi has a lot of variations with a factor of unpredictability in its story line. Above all, the story is coming out very nicely. And I am enjoying playing this role. The role I am playing is worth waiting for all these years.
So how did you work to get into the character of Prem? How similar or different are you?
Apart from the fact that Prem and I are good looking, the personal traits of the character have been very different (smiles). Prem is a boy from a village in Gujarat, but I have been brought up in a metro like Jaipur. Prem’s English is weak, but mine is better than his. Prem has a Gujarati accent. I had to work a lot to get the dialect right.
The biggest similarity in us is that we both are short-tempered. I used to be very chubby when I got this role. So I had to lose weight and have a chiselled body. I had to work a lot on my physique. Bodyholics helped me in shaping up my body. I am really thankful to Mr. Abbas from Bodyholics for working on me. Apart from this, Palki ma’m made us do a lot of workshops. With all the learning, I have gotten better today.
So how has the industry accepted you now?
Well, I never felt that the industry had not accepted me. As my friends used to say, if your heart is pure, you will get rewards. So I have been working with all my sincerity.
What are the goals that you have set for yourself?
What I believe is that no planning and plotting works anywhere. Whatever needs to happen has to happen. The only thought process I have is that I need to be sincere and dedicated to my work. Whether the industry accepts us, we get fans or not will happen only after we do our work. All that I know is that I am doing my work well.
How is it to work with Jyoti Sharma?
Jyoti is an actress who has been there for more than two years now. She has done many shows. At this point, both of us were looking for an opportunity to prove our talent. Aisi Deewangi has given us the platform for what we were craving for. We both have been working really hard. Not only us, the whole team has been splendid. We have been fortunate to work with passionate people like Palki ma’m and others in the team.
How does it feel being the lead of a show? Is there a pressure to perform well every day?
Not really, I will tell you. I was rejecting a lot of lead roles from the year 2014. When I started doing Jodhaa Akbar, I started getting lot of offers. Even on Zee TV, I rejected two lead offers. Things were not right, either the budget was not good, or I was not happy with the story or role. Television is predominantly a female oriented medium. That is why when I heard the story of Aisi Deewangi; I did not give it a second thought. I accepted it. So there’s nothing called pressure. I am trying to give my best. So whenever I feel sad or low, I just pull up myself and tell myself that I need to be honest to my craft.
You said you have been there for long, but you did not get noticed. So what do you think went wrong there? Did you hold a low profile?
There was nothing wrong in what I did. I think I had a different frame of mind earlier. I have groomed myself as an actor, and as a person. All the roles I have played have changed me all these years. I have worked and struggled and met people and explored stuff. I have changed my mindset for good and better. Looking back, I will never call it as a struggle. It was more of a learning process. See, when you are studying to become a doctor, you get your degree only after five years. So I too went through a learning process. And now I have finally found my place to work and I am giving it my hundred percent. So there was nothing wrong. As I said, I was not happy with the scripts I was getting. I used to go and meet Producers and they liked my look. But within, I used to be very unhappy but felt that I will have very less opportunity to perform in the shows I was offered. Ultimately, when I got Aisi Deewangi, I was so happy. This show has so much scope to perform as an actor. The show has action, drama comedy, romance, tashan, we have it all.
So how are you working towards betterment?
I wake up early in the morning. I have no time for myself and that is good in a way (laughs). Most of my time is spent on the sets. If I am not shooting, I make sure I read the script early. I read the whole screenplay. After that, I try and watch movies on my I-Pad whenever I am free. I also try to read. I sit and discuss with my co-actors and director about my work. I also ask random people as to what they feel about the show. Above all, I watch my own work and that is when I realize that I could have done a lot more…
A veteran actor in one of his interviews to us had said that most of the young actors do not scrutinize their own work. What do you think about that, considering that you have mentioned that you do look for feedback?
I don’t know why people say that. I have nothing against people who say so. According to me, when you see yourself, you will know what you did right. You will also want to know whether the emotion that you delivered was correctly conveyed on screen. At the same time, when you watch, you see the scenes as the audience as well as yourself. It is a correction meter which is necessary. It’s a process of self evaluation is what I think. As for people who don’t watch their work, I feel they are really good in their own skills. I am not, as I am still in the learning process.
How active are you on social media?
Not at all!! I have been here in the industry for quite some time. But I might sound funny and stupid, I have never been active on social media. I am there on Instagram and Facebook, but I hardly post anything there. Now, the channel pushes me and pressurizes me to put something up. Before that, I must have put one picture in six months. I used to feel that social media is a good way to connect. But all of us have a parallel life going on and I feel I don’t need to show people what I am wearing, where I am going etc. I just don’t buy that concept at all. As my team now says, you have to give them what they want. So I am trying to learn social media skills (laughs), courtesy my PR team. But if you ask me as a person, I will rather go home and chill and sleep, than putting up tweets and posts on Instagram. Having said this, I try and go live these days for my fans. They feel elated.
Do you usually keep a low profile at work?
At times, I feel I am an extremist. If I do stuff, I will do it to the extent that nobody else can do. But if I don’t want to do, I will never care about it. There is no ‘mediocrity state’ of me. I always look for extremes; there is no in-between balanced state. This is one quality I figure in myself. Otherwise, I am not very loud in terms of my persona; I try to keep it within. I will not do stuff which is very ‘OTT’. I like to keep it subtle. I am like the elephant who knows he has the power, but he maintains his calm. If you fiddle around with him, he can even kill you. In the same way, if you don’t fiddle around with me, I am the most humble guy around. If you fiddle around with me, I become really angry and upset.
What are your likes and dislikes?
Apart from the work regime, I don’t follow any rules. I firmly believe that in our life, we create moments. So if you ask a person after 10 or 20 or 30 years, all that the person will remember are the good moments. You don’t remember how much money you made, or how many friends you made. You remember only the moments which have made you very happy. I feel that one should have lot of such moments in our lives. I want to be part of such moments again and again, that is my motto in life. These are the moments that count at the end of the day. If you are happy from within, that’s the biggest achievement. And I prefer being happy.
So what is it that makes you happy?
I am a very simple person. But I don’t like people disrespecting me, or disrespecting others in front of me. I am a regular casual boy. I like going out with friends, chilling with family, having heart to heart conversations.
What’s your relationship status?
Single!! I am in a work mode now. You can’t be choosy in relationships. When it has to happen, it will happen. As of now, I want to give my best shot at work.