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Karan Kundra seems to have made decidedly hatke choices in his TV career. The actor, who started off with 'Kitani Mohabbat Hai', went on to star in one of TV's most controversial shows, 'The Serial'.
"I started with fiction in Kitani Mohabbat Hai and then did two more shows with Ekta (Kapoor). But then I was offered similar roles on TV, which I wasn't interested in doing. So, I made a comeback on TV with a very different concept in The Serial, a reality based show," he told us during a chat on a recent visit to the city.
Karan's tryst with offbeat shows is not limited to The Serial. Being the host of Gumraah - a show depicting incidents of crime among youngsters - has given a huge boost to his popularity, he says. With the third season of the show to soon go on air, Karan says, "The show gives me a lot of respect. Initially, I used to be looked at from a very 'entertainment value' point of view. But after Gumraah, there is a lot of respect attached to the way people look at me. People now come and talk to me about their views and experiences. It's a complete shift - from entertainment to a lot of respect. And that means a lot to me."
The actor is also quite candid about the fact that he thinks he's doing better than his peers - Karan certainly couldn't be accused of humility. "Definitely, I've done better work than my peers. I'm not doing a mainstream television show; I'm not hunting for high TRPs. Yet, I'm more popular than most of them (other actors on TV) and I work on my own terms. But the most important thing is that when I go home, I have this creative satisfaction that I've done something different. I'm trying to educate people and do something that makes sense, which earlier I wasn't," he says.
Having gained respect and popularity on TV, Karan is taking the big leap to the silver screen. He has signed a three-film contract with producer-director Vikram Bhatt, the first of which is almost ready for release. "I'll be making my Bollywood debut with Horror Story. It is a very different concept without any songs or romance. It's a typical horror flick, along the lines of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. The movie stars a bunch of newcomers, besides myself," he says.
Karan might be venturing into mainstream Bollywood only now, but this is not his first experience with films - he has acted in Punjabi cinema and is even producing Punjabi films. "I have two Punjabi films lined up for release this year. It's got a lot to do with me spending time at my hometown. My first production is set to go on floors this year," he informs.
Karan may not be a Bollywood star yet, but his personal life has attracted as much attention as any Bollywood actor's. His on-off relationship with actress Kritika Kamra has been in the news for a while. Recently, it was reported that the couple had gotten back together. "There's nothing happening between me and Kritika. It's been a while since we split. I don't have the time for a relationship, I don't think anybody does. When Kritika and I were dating, we were shooting together. So naturally, we spent a lot of time together. We were with each other 24 hours. Now it's nearly impossible because I'm doing a lot of things," he clarifies.
Karan may not be in a relationship with Kritika, but they remain good friends. In fact, he says, he has a lot of friends in the industry, including Karan Wahi and Pooja Gor - but then adds that he's a "recluse". "I'm quite a recluse in real life. When you're in the industry, the competition is cut-throat, but still you find friends. In any case, I'm a very dry person. I have a couple of very close friends and they are all from the industry. If I can make friends, then anybody can. I'm a very difficult person," he says.
Karan has been to the city before, but he cannot seem to get enough of it. "The food here is amazing. I've had the Tundey kebabs and golgappas. Since I'm on a very short visit, I'm getting biryani packed from Idrees and carrying it with myself," says the self-confessed foodie.
By: Saloni Tandon
"I started with fiction in Kitani Mohabbat Hai and then did two more shows with Ekta (Kapoor). But then I was offered similar roles on TV, which I wasn't interested in doing. So, I made a comeback on TV with a very different concept in The Serial, a reality based show," he told us during a chat on a recent visit to the city.
Karan's tryst with offbeat shows is not limited to The Serial. Being the host of Gumraah - a show depicting incidents of crime among youngsters - has given a huge boost to his popularity, he says. With the third season of the show to soon go on air, Karan says, "The show gives me a lot of respect. Initially, I used to be looked at from a very 'entertainment value' point of view. But after Gumraah, there is a lot of respect attached to the way people look at me. People now come and talk to me about their views and experiences. It's a complete shift - from entertainment to a lot of respect. And that means a lot to me."
The actor is also quite candid about the fact that he thinks he's doing better than his peers - Karan certainly couldn't be accused of humility. "Definitely, I've done better work than my peers. I'm not doing a mainstream television show; I'm not hunting for high TRPs. Yet, I'm more popular than most of them (other actors on TV) and I work on my own terms. But the most important thing is that when I go home, I have this creative satisfaction that I've done something different. I'm trying to educate people and do something that makes sense, which earlier I wasn't," he says.
Having gained respect and popularity on TV, Karan is taking the big leap to the silver screen. He has signed a three-film contract with producer-director Vikram Bhatt, the first of which is almost ready for release. "I'll be making my Bollywood debut with Horror Story. It is a very different concept without any songs or romance. It's a typical horror flick, along the lines of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. The movie stars a bunch of newcomers, besides myself," he says.
Karan might be venturing into mainstream Bollywood only now, but this is not his first experience with films - he has acted in Punjabi cinema and is even producing Punjabi films. "I have two Punjabi films lined up for release this year. It's got a lot to do with me spending time at my hometown. My first production is set to go on floors this year," he informs.
Karan may not be a Bollywood star yet, but his personal life has attracted as much attention as any Bollywood actor's. His on-off relationship with actress Kritika Kamra has been in the news for a while. Recently, it was reported that the couple had gotten back together. "There's nothing happening between me and Kritika. It's been a while since we split. I don't have the time for a relationship, I don't think anybody does. When Kritika and I were dating, we were shooting together. So naturally, we spent a lot of time together. We were with each other 24 hours. Now it's nearly impossible because I'm doing a lot of things," he clarifies.
Karan may not be in a relationship with Kritika, but they remain good friends. In fact, he says, he has a lot of friends in the industry, including Karan Wahi and Pooja Gor - but then adds that he's a "recluse". "I'm quite a recluse in real life. When you're in the industry, the competition is cut-throat, but still you find friends. In any case, I'm a very dry person. I have a couple of very close friends and they are all from the industry. If I can make friends, then anybody can. I'm a very difficult person," he says.
Karan has been to the city before, but he cannot seem to get enough of it. "The food here is amazing. I've had the Tundey kebabs and golgappas. Since I'm on a very short visit, I'm getting biryani packed from Idrees and carrying it with myself," says the self-confessed foodie.
By: Saloni Tandon
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