Versatile actor Karanvir Bohra exhibits a wide range of confidence in his calibre of playing negative roles. He recently took the TV-viewing audience into a shock zone with his portrayal in Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin. Now, Karanvir has set himself a bigger target by choosing his first-ever mythological role in the Colors’ popular mythological show, Shiv Shakti Tap Tyaag Tandav. Produced by Swastik Productions, the show has a wide range of following and acceptability, which is clearly seen in its good ratings.
In an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Karanvir speaks at length about his first mythological opportunity and his constant efforts to stand out as a performer in every character that he portrays.
Read on.
Your first mythological show playing the role of Andhkasur in Colors’ Shiv Shakti Tap Tyaag Tandav. How did you get convinced of it?
I have always wanted to play a mythological character. I was waiting for the right break and the right role. When Swastik Productions called me
to portray Andhkasur, who is Shiva’s son, I was excited. I am a Shiv bhakt and to top it, it was a negative role. I love playing negative roles. I loved the story of Andhkasur and the fact that the team worked so hard on the get-up.
What are the preparations you have gone through to play the role of Andhkasur?
The team had a certain look for the role, which was on the level of Lord of the Rings. I wanted the character to have his own style, with braided hair. They researched the look quite a lot. So I ended up braiding my own hair. They wanted to give me a white lens for the eyes as he is a blind character. But I am allergic to lenses. So I asked them to find a different way out. The idea of painting the eyes black like Batman came across. So we painted the eyes black and I had to portray being blind. He is an Asur, who has to show his might even while being blind. That was indeed a challenge.
What are the attributes that you have to portray to play the fierce Andhkasur to get it right?
Playing the character was not that easy to begin with. The thought was to make him look realistic. Andhkasur is a young person, and the thought we had is that he has to be portrayed as a fierce, angry character. So before he does the tapasya, he is shown to be angry and unstable, a person who sees from his ears. After the tapasya, he has a changed demeanour owing to the power he has got. He gets calmer and does not care even if he is blind.
There are a lot of layers in Andhkasur. He feels that he is robbed because he realizes that his father Shiv, created the entire Mankind, yet, made him blind. So that’s his anger.
What is the biggest challenge for the performer in you while playing this role?
Whenever I pick up a role, I research a lot. Every role has to be different from what I have done. Also, it has to be different from other people who played similar kinds of roles. I want to make a benchmark for myself. I want to look back and feel satisfied to have played different characters. This has been an inborn attribute in me.
Do you see this mythology opportunity as a wish list ticked on your bucket list?
I don’t have a bucket list. I always wanted to play a mytho character. I like these larger-than-life roles, where you can create something different from your normal self. That’s what was so exciting.
What are your expectations from this role?
The channel and production house have some expectations when it comes to Andhkasur. Hence they chose me for the role. Andhkasur is a pivotal role and a turning point in Shiv Shakti. I pray to Lord Shiva that he makes us deliver what the channel and production house have envisioned.
You have played various baddie characters on TV. How do you choose your next usually?
I love playing the bad boy roles. I choose them based on how interesting the character is. Later, my take comes into perspective, on how different I can make it to be. I have the responsibility of making it different from any role that I have played before.
I have realized that with the kind of benchmark that I have set for myself, even the production house or channels approaching me, know that when they get me for a role, the role has to bear the weight and needs to be pivotal to the story. They believe that I will deliver. I have to live up to the expectations set on me. My efforts need to be 100 times more than what they want from me. I live for acting, I can’t take it for granted. Till I die, acting will be part of my breath.
With your shooting experience so far, do you like this decision to don a mythological role?
I am happy to have chosen this role. It has given me a different feel as a performer.
What do you want viewers to remember in your role of Andhkasur?
People should remember Andhkasur as the Asur who was the coolest, hottest, the most menacing ever. The role should set a benchmark for all the other negative mythological roles.
