Rohit Khurana, famed bad (and sometimes good) boy of Indian television is back to what he does best by stepping into the shoes of Shaurya Singhania in Sasural Simar Ka. The character of a rich, spoilt brat has already made waves on the show. We catch up with the intense actor about his new role.
Q: How did you get the role of Shaurya?
Rohit: When the production house comes up to you and says that we wrote a particular role with you in mind, it is great. It feels like you’re being given a lot of respect. When they said that they wrote Shaurya for me, I was convinced that they would put a lot of efforts into the role and it would be mindblowing, and it was!
Q: What drew you to the character of Shaurya? How is he different from your earlier negative roles?
Rohit: He’s a rich, spoilt brat who doesn’t give a damn about others. He’s very ziddi (stubborn) and gets what he wants. Vansh (Uttaran) was a drug addict and an alcoholic so there was an undercurrent of irritation in him that people with such habits have. On the other hand, Shaurya is rich but has no parental influence, only a sister who has given him everything he wants. His equation with Janhvi is also very interesting, as she is the only person who has stood up to him.
Q: How will you define the look of Shaurya? You’ve gone with a short haircut this time.
Rohit: Yes, I was waiting for a suitable role to come along to chop off my hair. Vansh was one of the only characters on TV to have a full mane of hair and a full beard, my last role required me to have chickenpox scars and a cut on my face. So this is a complete change. People have some difficulty recognizing me now (laughs), but I think that’s a good thing as I’m going into this new role without any tags. I’m sure that as time passes, this character will make a mark.
Q: Do you identify with the bratty character?
Rohit: Absolutely! Though I’m not that rich, and I’m not a brat, it’s great fun to play such a role. It’s completely different than what I am in real life, so it’s nice to portray a character with the attitude of wealth and power on full display. Mazaa aa raha hai.
Q: What have you brought to the character of Shaurya?
Rohit: The kind of style that he has, his way of speaking, the way he stands. Shaurya’s whole personality has a stamp of haughtiness, and I wanted that to be evident. So I made him stand with his hand inside his pockets, made him move his neck a lot while speaking to show his aggression. Even when he says ‘Shut up’, I make it sound very dismissive which shows he doesn’t think about other people. He says ‘What Crap?!’ a lot, and that was in the script, I added it because I thought it’ll go well with the character.
Q: How has the response been to your character?
Rohit: It has been great! Even on sets, the actors gave me a warm welcome and were very sweet. People are appreciating my character and look and feel that Shaurya has added a spark to the show, which is a very good thing. If your character can add a little raunak to an already successful show, it is a success.
Q: After Uttaran, this is your second outing with Colors. Is this a conscious move?
Rohit: Not exactly, I mean I’m happy to be back with Colors after Uttaran, but I’m always on the look out for good roles, and if I get it, it doesn’t matter what channel or production house it is.
Q: What can we expect from Shaurya in the coming days?
Rohit: Shaurya has many shades, the audience has seen his attitude till now. Now he’ll show his romantic side as there are some romantic scenes coming up. I don’t want to reveal too much, but people will get to see many different sides of this man. Logon ko bohot mazaa aayega dekhkar.
