Talented TV and stage actor Vaquar Sheikh is quite excited about the response to his character in the new Colors show, Vidya (Mahesh Pandey Productions). “People are liking my portrayal of the evil Nanku Singh. Today, times have changed and viewers are ready to distinguish between the actor and the character. No wonder you have actors who essay Gods like Shiva, also taking part in reality competitions.”
“Above all, it really feels nice when the show gets a 1.2 TVR in the 7 pm slot. Several other prime time shows are rating much lower, so we are obviously doing something right,” says Vaquar, whose last big show was Qubool Hai. His other tube outings include Heena, Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki and Saraswatichandra.
Here Vaquar credits the writers and creative of Vidya for designing such a powerful character, “Thereby enabling me to raise the bar.”
“While I am not defending Nanku’s roving-eye nature, let’s call a spade a spade. Most men are like him, wanting to lay any pretty woman they set their eye upon.”
“Nanku, like several of his ilk, is a family man at home. He loves his wife and infant daughter, dotes on his younger sis, and yes, takes his mother’s berating in his stride. Having said that, he still believes that it is ok to have a little bit of fun on the sly.”
Besides TV, Vaquar is looking forward to his digital debut with Netflix’s Bahubali.
“Most of the characters are new, given that it is a prequel. I can’t reveal more about my character except that he is a sworn enemy of the king of Mahishmati. We have wrapped up the first sched of this series, which will stretch up to four seasons. I am not sure if I will make an entry in the first or second, but yes, will be there throughout.”
Here Vaquar adds, “At first when the Bahubali team approached me, I turned down the other characters they offered, for they did not have meat. My friend told me, are you. crazy, but then at my stage of career, I need juicy roles.”
Talking about the Bahubali film series, this cine-lover says, “I was bowled over by the majestic and larger than life narrative.”
In closing, Vaquar says, “Web shooting is a different ball game compared to TV. At first, when I started auditioning for digital, I did not like being told to stop loud acting. I would say, dude, don’t teach me my craft; I have several awards. But over time I have come to realize that TV does ask for loud acting, while web is much more realistic.”