Big on small screen

Mona

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Harder the struggle, the more hopeful this guy gets. After all, it’s not for the faint-hearted to leave a secure job and life in the UK to make a comeback to India to pursue the passion of being an actor!

In Chandigarh, for his best friend Ashutosh Rana’s wedding, VikramSingh Chauhan hastily takes us through his journey in tinsel town. As the duo make way to Elante, Vikram fills in details.

Tough going

“A nine-to-five job didn’t satisfy my creative aspirations, so I decided to pack my bags and move to Mumbai.” But his idea of landing in the city of dreams and bagging role instantly didn’t exactly come true. After 136 auditions, he finally got lucky! “Mumbai is an expensive city, so I had to go back to a nine-to-five job to pay bills and I would audition on the weekends,” he admits.

Five years down the line, even he did not anticipate such fame and success. He earned huge fan base playing Atharv in Jaana Na Dil Se Door and is aiming to repeat the feat while taking on the mantle of Vyom Bedi in Sony Entertainment Television’s Ek Deewaana Tha

Man’s world

The title had him tempted enough to try it out. “The title suggested that men would have enough to do as you know most soaps are women-oriented.” The story — a heady cocktail of romance and horror — had him going. .“We share a great camaraderie on the sets of Ek Deewaana Tha for two of my co-stars Namik are also from my hometown, Dehradun, and Donal Bisht is from Uttrakhand; we have a lot to share in common.”

Time crunch

The very fact that each day is rather new on the sets is what makes this Dehradun boy hooked on to acting. The only low, however, is the time crunch. “Shoots and the odd timings do play havoc with one’s work-life balance,” says this former lawyer.

Taking two days out for his best friend’s wedding was a priority though, “I told my team that unless there is a telecast issue, I have to make it to the wedding,” says Vikram. Rather anxious to be saddled with the task of choosing the bridegroom’s dress, he happy making the most of Chandigarh. “Each time I visit, I get a feeling of coming home. Most of my friends are from Chandigarh and with everyone coming to the marraige, it’s going to be a reunion of sorts,” says the last one of the gang who is unmarried!

The uncertainty, the insecurity is at the back of his mind, “The bigger the challenges, the stronger I am for I know it takes immense will to sail through life.”

mona@tribunemail.com