Ankit Raizada – I have learnt a lot from my co-actors

In conversation with Ankit Raizada

Star Plus’s recent offering Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao produced by Rajshri productions has given viewers the much-needed breath of fresh air on Indian television. If you’ve not watched the show already, it is all rounded family entertainer suitable for all age groups. As a viewer of the show myself, I was taken aback by the recent episodes and hence decided to interview Ankit Raizada, who plays one of the leads on the show. Asking Ankit what made him choose a career in acting, he responded, “Well, since I was a child, I have been an ardent fan of Shahrukh Khan and Michael Jackson. I used to watch them perform and got inspired by their magical performances. This led me to put my hands into acting. Another inspiration has been my father as he is also an actor. So, throughout my childhood I shadowed my father during his stage plays, learning as well as understanding acting from scratch. This is how I became an actor.”

Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao marks Ankit’s debut as a protagonist on Indian Television. Asking him how he bagged the role of Dhruv and the reason behind playing the character, Ankit discusses that the journey was not easy as he gave multiple auditions and screen tests before this role, “I gave so many auditions and screen tests before I got the call from Rajshri Films to play the character of Dhruv in their show Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao. So, it all started with the auditions followed by the look test then the screen test and then meeting with the producer Sooraj Sir. (Sooraj Barjatya) However, in the end, I was finalised by the production house and Star Plus to play Dhruv.” In terms of the reason behind playing Dhruv, Ankit responded with, “Well, this character is somewhat close to me as I am in my real life and Dhruv and Ankit share the same state, same culture, same regional language which is what allowed me to be myself and therefore give natural performances.”

Although Dhruv and Ankit are very similar, there were a few minor preparations to get into the character. Ankit discusses that “with the guidance of my director Vikram Ghai I was able to sharpen my skills and with some modifications, I was able to convince viewers with my performance as Dhruv. The good thing about both Dhruv and Ankit is that we both are full of energy and wished to be an actor so that reflected in my performances.”

In less than 40 episodes, Ankit has shot a myriad of scenes spanning different emotional textures. Hence, I asked him what his favourite scene(s) have been to shoot on the show. To which he responded, “My favourite scenes have been where Dhruv pretends that he loves Shraddha and played along with her, letting her fall for him. I loved playing a romantic hero.”

Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao as I have stated above is a family-oriented show. Therefore, in order to create the perfect on-screen dynamics, the dynamics off-screen must be good. As a viewer, it’s evident that the off-screen dynamics have worked for the on-screen performances. Hence, I asked Ankit what his dynamics have been with his co-stars, particularly Anagha Bhosale who plays Shraddha on the show. To which Ankit responded, “I have learnt a lot from my co-actors, particularly their approaches and passion towards working which has inspired me further. In terms of my dynamic with Anagha, we share a cute and friendly bond which is quite similar to our on-screen performances.” Well isn’t that lovely?

The TV industry is known for its cut-throat competition, despite this Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao has been well received by the audiences. Fans, in particular, have been loving Ankit & Shraddha’s on-screen pairing #Shruv. Hence, I asked Ankit, what he thought made #Shruv a success? To which he responded, “When we were both cast, we didn’t know if we were going to be compatible. Honestly, we explored #Shruv together and somewhere we found that our real-life bonding helped us achieve the on-screen bond which people are loving.”

For those that are unaware, Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao is one of the few finite series of Star Plus’s new programming strategy. Hence, I asked Ankit what kind of roles he would like to play in the future. To this Ankit responded, “After this show, I would love to play a sci-fi or supernatural character as I am a huge fan of Superman.” Well, that sounds interesting. Channels and production houses, are you paying attention? You have your next superhero right here. Furthermore, I asked Ankit if there was any particular genre he would like to explore himself as an actor. To which he responded, “Since I have been a huge fan of Shahrukh Khan, I also want to explore the romantic genre as an actor.”

Besides Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao Ankit has done a web-series, Khushfehmiyaan. Intrigued by the name of the title, I asked him about this project and a bit about the character he played. To which Ankit responded, “I was playing a philosophical character and it was a pretty decent experience as we were shooting in Goa. I had an amazing time working.” Well, that is fantastic. If you haven’t watched the series, you can on Gemplex.

Besides work, I asked Ankit what he does in his spare time. For those of you that don’t know, Ankit has a range of hobbies, “I love to workout, dance and now I have a new hobby of terrace planting. I also love reading books too.” So, there you go, folks that is Ankit Raizada in a nutshell.

Finally, Ankit decided to give a quick message to all his fans, “Thank you so much to all my fans around the world for showering so much love. Please keep watching our show, Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jaao and continue to love #Shruv.”

Well there you go peeps, that is Ankit Raizada for you. Keep up with UrbanAsian.com and I shall be back with another article.