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Mohsin Khan, best known for his work as Kartik Goenka in ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’, shares his experience working on his new OTT show ‘Jab Mila Tu’, and how he got into the character of Maddy.
Fans have been waiting to see you back on screen for years since Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai! What made you gravitate towards choosing ‘Jab Mila Tu’ as your project back on television?
The journey so far has been extremely heartening. I’m an electronic engineer by education. The plan was to work in an I.T company but deep down the Cinema dream always prevailed. Worked as an assistant director and then 7 years in television as an actor. I’m so grateful and Thank my Lord everyday for this life. After 7 years I needed to take a break and look after my health. Yes, there were many offers after Yeh Rishta, but I needed to take some time off. I was mentally ready by the time “Jab Mila Tu” was offered.
The storyline was very intriguing, the character layered and the entire cast perfectly in place. I saw the writer’s enthusiasm about the show and the way he explained to me about “Maddy” , the character being a villain in his own story, creating chaos for himself. The coming of age love story where you see the 2 characters Maddy and Aneri being childhood sweethearts scarred by their past and how they together go through a self realization journey. It’s a fun youthful show. It’s an emotional roller coaster. It’s a light hearted breezy watch. You can rewatch the show and not get bored.
What are the main differences between shooting for television and filming for an OTT show?
For me there’s the same respect and adoration for all the mediums. The Lord has been kind to me. In any medium I feel as an actor, My job is to give my best to the character and his reactions to other characters in the story. understanding of the theme of the script, the struggle of the character, his nuances, where does the character come from in the sense of his music taste, his food cravings, the basic walk or just the look. Once we are on set, it’s all about that particular scene being shot and that’s the same for all mediums I feel.
Khan also went through some intense prep in order to get into the character of Maddy, explaining that he lost 23 kg’s and grew out his hair to look the part.
He labels Maddy as a ‘complete red flag’ and says that he is arrogant and aggressive as a character to everyone around him in the show.
Are there similarities between you and Maddy, and did you infuse some of her personality into Maddy’s character?
Maddy is a complete red flag. He’s scarred so there is some immaturity in him. He is arrogant, aggressive, naughty, flirting and abusive. At the same time he detaches himself from everyone, even his friends. He lives in chaos and thrives in it. The only similarity between Maddy and I would be, I am equally introverted but obviously Maddys behavior has a different reason. I had to create Maddy first in my head with the help of the writer. We discussed a lot about the smallest nuance of the character and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Maddy.
When sharing his time on set shooting for ‘Jab Mila Tu’, Khan said that he loved spending time in Goa and getting to sightsee on his days off.
The series is shot in Goa and Mumbai. Loved staying in South Goa, the people there are so welcoming. The food was amazing. I am a fan of sea food and Goa is heaven for it. We would order food on set.. all eat together. It was a hectic shoot so we were all always on our toes. We got 2/3 off days so went cycling, sightseeing , swimming, taking a walk at the beautiful goa beaches, checking out the forts as my family had come to celebrate my birthday in Goa. I’m going to cherish all these memories. I have been very fortunate to be part of a very competent and skilful team.
‘Jab Mila Tu’ s first five episodes are streaming on Voot!
