I enjoy road trips, says actor Amar Upadhyay

Mona

If his fans took to the streets till Mihir Virani was brought back to life in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, actor Amar Upadhyay now has another winning moment with the current show —Molkki, which is a tradition where girls from poor families are married off for money.

A village panchayat in Sajjangarh, Rajasthan, decided to stop the regressive practice after seeing the show, which makes Virender Pratap Singh of Molkki (Amar) happy. “I didn’t know what Molki was till I got the offer for the show. What the panchayat has done in Sajjangarh is appreciable.” What makes Amar even happier is that post Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, this show has once again got him fans from the age-group of eight to eighty once again. “I got this love as Mihir as well,” Amar beams.

Set in Haryana, for the show Amar watched plenty of videos in Haryanavi and worked with a coach on the sets to prepare for the role. “Last year I had some good offers and I chose to go ahead with Molkki.”

Amar, a Gujarati who grew up in Mumbai, made it to entertainment industry sans any godfather, “Without anyone to guide me, I just rushed into the industry.” At one point, he was struggling with three shows and two to three films, making life difficult. “Those were different times.”

Tough times

Soon to be seen in the film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, he says, “It’s going to be a super film, a laughter riot with some chilling moments.” The pandemic’s been tough but Amar considers himself fortunate. “The first wave was crazy, didn’t know what to do. Despite all the precautions, I got infected during the second wave.” If those 14 days of isolation at home were tough, Amar wanted to get back to the sets as work was suffering. By that time the second lockdown was in place, and the shoot moved to Goa. “Those were two blissful months. We shot in a bio-bubble. I have spent each evening after the shoot at the shacks on the beach.”

Amar, who started with modelling and shows like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Kalash, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, and films Dhund: The Fog and LOC Kargil, adds. “Early in my career, I found it hard to get out of emotional sequences and carried them home. During Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi days, Saira (Banu) mam called me home to meet Dilip ji, as he liked my work. He told me if I carried characters home it would ruin my personal life. I learnt the lesson from a true master.”

I stay fit by

I do not eat carbs after 7 pm. I am a foodie and eat it all — dal, roti, sabji and mithai through the day. In, my make-up room I have some equipment and I exercise in between shots. I maintain a flat stomach, but if you ask me to give up food for six-pack abs, I can never do that!

Holiday vibes

I am going to live my retired life in Goa — I can’t have enough of its beaches. If anything beats Goa, it’s London, though I have been there so many times and seen it all. I have many Gujarati friends there.

I unwind by

Reading. Currently I am reading John Grisham’s The Testament. Also, I enjoy road trips to Lonwala or Gujarat.

I draw inspiration from

Aamir Khan. I have watched the film Dangal thrice to get my Haryanvi accent right.

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