Well-known TV name Shalin Bhanot refuses to speculate whether his Naagin Bhagya Ka Zehreela Khel character will return from the dead. Keshav was killed in the very first episode, setting the stage for his snake woman wife Maanyata (Sayantani Ghosh), and daughter Nayantara’s (Jasmin Bhasin) revenge drama.
“I don’t want to be a spoiler. Why don’t you watch and find out for yourself”, quipped Shalin, who has been around TV for over 14 years, starting with MTV Roadies in 2004. His other hit tube shows have been Kulvaddhu, Sangam, Suryaputra Karn, etc.
If and when your now human character does come back, will he have supernatural powers? “All this can only be answered by the uber creative Ekta Kapoor. Anything is possible in the entertainment industry. Remember Shahrukh Khan in the wheel chair in Om Shanti Om?”
Talking about his shooting experience of Naagin 4, he says, “Working with the team of my old Zee show, Naagin Vaadon Ki Agniparikshaa (2008), that is Sayantani Ghosh and director Ranjan Kumar Singh, was like going down memory lane.”
“Shooting with Balaji is so good. I never thought that I will have such a blast in an outdoor (Rajasthan). Getting very good viewer feedback is like icing on the cake.”
Looking ahead, Shalin also informs us that his Gemmplex crime web series, Redlands, might return with season 2. “The team has just sounded me out for a possible sequel. Having said that, it is very early days and a lot depends on the story board.”
“There is a lot of space to take the Uttar Pradesh-based political story forward. We had ended season 1 with an attack on my on-screen mafia family. So no one knows who was killed and who survived. Creatively, we have not even started,” said Shaleen, who is the ex-husband of eliminated Bigg Boss 13 contestant, Daljeet Kaur. They had won Nach Baliye 4 together, back in 2009.
Besides Naagin, Shalin is also doing Colors mytho, Ram Siya Ke Luv Kushh. “It is doing well. Then I have something else planned for Feb as well.”
“However, I will refrain from giving out any more details. Let things pan out on their own. I did not even speak about Naagin 4 till it was announced,” added Shalin for good measure.
“I have had a good 2019 and hope 2020 does even better. After trying out TV and the web, now I wish to make a splash on the big screen as well. He had a not so great turn out with Love Ke Funday, a few years back. He had also been part of the ill-fated Pyaar Mohan back in 2006.
“Luckily though, the boundaries between TV, films and web have finally blurred, and today, more than names, you look for actors who suit your characters. The medium they hail from is not that important anymore.”