Abeer Soofi, who plays the titular role in Sony TV show Mere Sai (Dashami Creations) claims to have incorporated a lot of the teachings of the great saint of Shirdi.
“At first I was full of anger, but then later learned to calm down, courtesy, Sai’s books. It is very important to imbibe the qualities of contentment (Shaburi) and devotion (Shraddha) in today’s hypertensive and stressful life. Patience, positive approach and belief that bad days will come to end are the key to happiness, else you will only wallow in misery,” says Abeer, who was earlier known as Vaibhav Saraswat.
But is it really possible to eschew ambition? “Yes, if we do required mediation as I did, then anything is possible. It is all about controlling your emotions,” says this lawyer-turned-actor.
Turning to the show he says, “It is doing quite well and it feels nice when people come and tell me that I have made them forget other actors who had played Sai Baba before. If I am able to convince some youngsters to walk Sai’s path, I will consider my job done. In a way, my above metamorphosis was hastened by playing his character. I would read and do yoga/meditation before, but playing his character was the catalyst.”
Unlike other actors, Abeer does not really attempt to change his lifestyle during his stint. “I am a cool guy. I don’t fag, booze, and to top it all, I am a 100% vegan since a few years.”
Theater artist Abeer feels blessed to have gotten the chance to play completely different characters. “After doing a few negative cameos, I got my first disciplined army officer lead, in Doordarshan show, Dharti Ki God Mein.”
He had also played Shiva in Big Magic show, Narayan Narayan. Looking ahead, he would now want to try out other genres like comedy as well. “A true artist should be able to do all kinds of roles,” says he.
In closing, Abeer, whose name includes the word Sufi, says, “I fully subscribe to the above theory of love and devotion. In times of religious strife, Sufism is the need of the hour in India.”
Keep going, Abeer!!