Karan Grover aka Kayjee has always been a popular face on television. He is now portraying the sweet and affable character that goes by his real name in Zee TV and Rajshri Productions'  Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli.

Although he refuses to share details about his real life love- Kavita Kaushik , he speaks on love in general and of the kind that he believes in. He tells us how, even though he started late in life, he is so far happy with his acting career and intends to contribute more than acting to the entertainment industry.

Excerpts from our conversation…

Tell us about the things that make you love Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli…
First is the production house. Kavita ji is my favorite producer. Whenever she offers me anything, I don't even bother to go through the nuances, I say yes right away. Second is my part. I love my part. I get to wear the same trendy clothes that I started off with, even though my character has changed from a college boy to a lover boy and now almost Aabha's husband.  

When you signed for your part, did you know it was going to be so big?
Yes, I knew it (smiles).

How does any character you take affect you?
Personally, whenever I do a part, I bring it back home I take it to my gym …everywhere. People say don't bring work home. But I do just that. I start roaming around in my character's look. I start picking up paraphernalia that he can use. I start weaving my own scripts in my head for my character. And when I discuss it with my director, he thinks I've gone mad (laughs). Every time I take a new character, I start behaving like a kid in a toy store but before he even enters it!

Do you relate to your character?
Yeah, I relate to Karan a lot. But then he's a far more emotional person. He's very impulsive and thinks about love and marriage.

Is there anything that bothers you about your character?
I don't think there's anything such as that. In fact, I love everything about Karan and I can learn a lot from him. He is patient. He is very romantic and believes in love at first sight whereas I so don't believe in love at first sight.

So what kind of love do you believe in?
I believe in love based on compatibility. For me love at first sight is all about passion and when it dies down something that works is what you have common between each other. I believe in being comfortable with the person you love, even in the worst of situations. You should be in your most awful clothes yet not feel awkward in front of that person. You should be able to brush your teeth with that person beside you…

How is Suhasi as a co-actor?
Suhasi is by far my favorite co-actor. We have a great time on the sets. We love to share our lunch. We both are big foodies so we keep ordering lots of junk food like burgers, pizzas, subway sandwiches etc. W e do a lot of masti and other senseless things on the sets (laughs).

Does having a married co-star affect your on-screen chemistry?
Not at all! Suhasi has a very supportive family that trusts her completely and stands by her decision to work in the industry. I have met some of them. I have met her husband and he's a great guy. Her in-laws believe in the Barjatyas and so there's no negative vibes at all for me to be working with her.

At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be an actor?
I realized quite late in my life that I wanted to be an actor. I'm a chemical engineer by qualification. I got a KT in my last year. I pursued event management and that's what gave me an entry into the field of entertainment. I've worked with experts like Umang Kumar.
When I saw what happened at these events I was like- 'I wanna be on stage, I wanna dress up, I wanna give interviews.' I realized I loved everything about an actor's life. So I started giving auditions and here I am.
You see, this is the reason why coming everyday to the sets does not feel mundane at all. I love coming to the sets every day. I love every moment of being in this profession.

Have you achieved whatever you had planned you would by this time?
I don't make such time limited plans. I don't keep any physical goals like- by so and so time I'll buy my own apartment or own a Mercedes. Nope!
I'd made a goal that I want to be an actor and I've achieved that goal. The press and media are accepting me and I'm happy with this achievement. Somewhere down the line I want to make films and contribute more to the entertainment industry. But then again, that has no cut-off line.

What are the three things, according to you, that aspiring actors should always bear in mind?
First, know the job.
Second, stay true to it. Be sincere.
Third, it is the medium that makes you and not the other way around. You are never bigger than the medium.

What is the motto of your life?
My motto is as the classic song goes, "Don't worry, be happy".

Reporter and Author: Susan Jose