Our act on foreign soil

Ravi Bhatia, who was last seen in Zee TV’s Jodha Akbar, is flying high these days. His realistic portrayal of Prince Salim made him extremely popular in Indonesia. His international series Roro Jonggrang, in which he played the role of superhero, recently went off-air. The actor with a fanatical fan-following is enjoying ‘me’ time in Indonesia. He talks about it and more.

After Jodha Akbar, what made you go for Indonesian shows?

I was quite surprised when I came to know that Jodha Akbar is very popular in Indonesia. When the show went off-air in India, I got a call from an Indonesian TV channel and they asked me whether I was interested in working with them. I was initially confused, but then I gave it a lot of thought. I realised working in Indonesia would be a great opportunity for me and the money they offered was like the cherry on the cake. So, finally I decided to take a risk.

How is the work culture different from India?

In India, we work round-the-clock to meet deadlines; in Indonesia people are more relaxed, so the stress level is very less. Technically, Indian TV shows are far ahead, here the TV industry is still growing as far as creativity and technicality are concerned.

Have you faced problems due to language barrier?

I was over the moon when I got the visa, but when I came here, I was literally scared of everything. Gradually I became comfortable with the surroundings. To deal with the language barrier, I started learning Indonesian language. Although I am still not fluent in Indonesian language, I can manage well.

Being the only Indian in an Indonesian show, do you feel like an outsider?

I never felt like an outsider; everyone welcomed me with open arms. Here people have a lot of respect and admiration for Indian actors.

When do we see you back on Indian TV?

It’s been nine months since I came here. For next three months, I will be working with another Indonesian TV channel; hopefully after that I will be back to Aamchi Mumbai.