Apurva's Interview

Apurva Agnihotri is back on the small screen as the dashing and unscrupulous DC (Dev Chopra) who exploits people and the situations they are put in to derive higher TRPs for his dance reality show on Life OK's latest launch, Aasman Se Aage. The show produced by Sagar Arts and 72 Degrees Northe focuses on the reality behind reality shows.

Apurva who plays the central character in the show is very happy with the character sketch provided to him. "DC is a multi-shaded character, and I opted to play this role because of the unusual attributes in him. There is a novelty factor in it and one cannot predict the shades of expressions that the man gives when he is put in various situations. DC as a person cannot take failures. The best part about the character is that every person will have a different take on it."

Apurva expresses his happiness at the positive response his show has garnered and says, "I am not being pompous here. But we expect Aasman Se Aage to be the #1 show by July. It is really tough to crack a show like this, as a very thin line separates a usual show and a different one. And this is really different. There is positive energy all over when you are working with such young dancers. All credit goes to Nilanjana (Purkayasttha); she is very sensible and knows what she is doing. With every passing week our TRP is getting better."

When asked about the shows that he prefers to watch on television today, Apurva avers, "In Hindi, I like Parvarrish that airs on Sony (Entertainment Television). Desperate Housewives is a show that one needs to watch if he/she is planning to write or direct shows."

Ask him about the intimate sequences that are being shown between the lead pair in serials, and he says, "Honestly speaking, I feel such close scenes are not required in television. I do not want to watch them on TV. The television viewers are of all ages, starting from kids to aged people and I don't think we should show them all this. There are films to show the intimate sequences. It's embarrassing for everyone when it is shown on TV."

Ask him about the manner in which he chooses his roles and he is quick to say, "You will never see me doing lot of shows. It takes a lot to convince me to accept a serial. I need to be aligned with the project, and I expect something different in terms of the script. All I want is a new challenge when it comes to the concept."

On sharing on-screen chemistry with wife Shilpa Saklani Agnihotri, he says, "We are open to good subjects. Shilpa is a fantastic actor and one of my favorite ones too. But she is sort of scared to accept the burden of shooting daily for 12 hours. She is out of tangent of working for 30 days. And for married women to go through the schedule is really tough. Recently, she was away from home for 45 days to shoot for Survivor India, and that was really an achievement for Shilpa."

Ask him about the manner in which he enjoys life with Shilpa and he says, "We like to go to Goa, and when we get an opportunity we are there. We like to chill around by chatting. We have a dog at home, called Hollywood, and have fun with him. Whenever we have time, we go on a drive, and spend time with friends."

Sharing his viewpoint on television today and on the newcomers, he states, "It is very wrong to blame the failure of a show on the new actors. We need to understand that script is the hero of any show, and I believe that actors get undue attention at times. The writer is the one who needs to be rewarded, and not the faces that are playing the roles. We need good writers and directors very badly, and the rest will fall in place."

On the new faces who happen to be his favourites, Apurva tells us, "Ragini Khanna and Ratan Rajpoot who worked with me in Radha Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhayengi have come a long way, and their style of acting is different and effective."

Ask him as to why he does not interact freely with the media and he says, "I am an introvert, basically. I feel shy to talk to unknown people. I cannot get close with them and talk freely. I am born like this (smiles)." Remind him that he is opposite of his on screen character DC and he laughs it off saying, "Even Shilpa says the same. She even tells me that I have to learn from DC and change my habits."

Lastly, on turning parents, Apurva says, "Yes, we have waited quite a lot. I think we will be ready to accept the responsibility of becoming parents by next year."