When small is big

Manika Ahuja

He knows it well that television is as much women-dominated as the big screen is by men. But his firm conviction dictates that if you play a role “which makes a difference to the show”, television as a medium will give you better career prospects than Bollywood. “Television has a mass appeal, which outweighs the reach of movies. It demands more efforts, but it is more rewarding in the longer run,” actor Sarwar Ahuja, the latest entrant in &TV’s Ganga substantiates his point.

Tragic incident

Terming Pratyusha’s alleged suicide as ‘tragic’, Ahuja says he shudders at the thought of the “monumental amount of emotional turmoil that must have led an immensely popular face of Indian television to take such an extreme step.”

Ahuja adds that although he is unaware whether or not speculations about the Balika Vadhu star’s weak financial position are true, he would advice actors, “to avoid spending beyond their means.”

Telly tale

While most actors envision Bollywood as an indicator of career progression, this winner of the talent show India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj, in the male category, thinks otherwise. “Television offers a wider range and reaches out to a greater audience. Unlike movies, which tend to remain restricted to multiplexes, television caters to rural people as well. It makes you a household name,” he shares.

Crime drama

Ahuja, who has played a cop in Hum Ne Li Hai..Shapath and Diya Aur Baati Hum and is essaying the role of a lawyer in Ganga, says there has been a conspicuous “evolution of viewers’ tastes. Today, crime drama succeeds in pulling crowds more than ever before. CID’s overwhelming success is a living proof. You cannot tolerate it, but you cannot miss it either,” he giggles.

He observes that donning a lawyer’s hat has sensitised him towards the litigators as, “I have come to understand that no job is easy; everything demands its own share of hard work. A litigator has to collect all the evidences and argue to prove his point with conviction. It is not an easy task.”

As for his appearance as a police inspector, the actor admits that the cinematic presentation of cops is deliberately done “in a positive light”, and bear little resemblance with reality. He states one of the major reasons that prodded him to quit the show, “Hum ne li hai..shapath became ‘fairytale-ish’ with the passage of time. I had no choice but to quit.”

Real vs reel

Together on a renewed mission, Sarwar and his real-life spouse Aditi Sharma want to undo the notion that when real-life couples team up on-screen viewers lose interest. “Aditi and I will share screen space after a long time. We are hopeful that we will prove that real couples can work wonders in reel life as well.”