Shabir Ahluwalia on Shooting in Varanasi and Mathura
LUCKNOW, (IANS) – After playing Rockstar Abhi in ‘Kumkum Bhagya‘ for seven years, actor Shabir Ahluwalia has started his new journey as Mohan in ‘Pyar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan’.
“So, the storytelling of ‘Pyar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan’ is not linear. You will probably be going back into the story, finding out what happened then and coming back into Mohan’s current life. It’s different from what Abhi was and is at the same time very challenging,” says Shabir.
Shabir’s association with ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ has been long and Abhi as a character is quite close to him. So, Shabir must have put effort into the transformation from Abhi to Mohan? ” There’s been a lot of changes that I have put to the character, because Abhi has been played for so long that there will be visual reference to Abhi. But when you see Mohan, he is entirely different. I have dropped about twelve kilos for this character in one and a half months. People will see the remaining transformation on-screen.”
On his chemistry with co-actor Neeharika Roy, he shares: “She’s a bundle of energy. She’s sweet and relatively new. She brings a lot of excitement to the character and to the show. So, it’s great fun working with her.”
As the show is based in Vrindavan, many sequences have been shot in the locales of the city.
While sharing his experience of shooting in Vrindavan, he says: “The locations are beautiful, and that area has a kind of vibe of love. We have incorporated everything of Vrindavan, Mathura, Gowardhan, and Barsana into the show. Visually, it brings a lot into the story.”
When asked about the USP of the show and how the love story of Radha-Mohan is going to connect with the audience, he shares: “It’s very today’s story, but it is symbolic of Radha-Mohan’s journey. We have taken the love and essence of Mathura; we have incorporated all the flavors of that region. But it’s a story of a family that’s from today’s time.”
Beside doing television shows, Shabir also did Bollywood projects such as Shootout at Lokhandwala’ and ‘Mission Istanbul’. Now, after television shows, is he planning to do more of Bollywood, and he replies: “I don’t really see the medium. I see what I am doing in that medium, which is important for me.
Shabir’s wife Kanchi Kaul is a well-known actress, who later took a break after her marriage and mostly kept herself busy with family. Though now the actor confirms that she is planning to start again.
As he says: ” She has taken a long break because she wanted to be with the kids. I was busy with ‘Kumkum Bhagya’, so she said I will take care of the kids. Right now, since the kids have grown up and school has begun, she is going to start again. I am really looking forward to seeing her on screen.”
