Anuj Sachdeva is a familiar and popular face on television. He has appeared on shows such as Sabki Laadli Bebo and Swaragini - jodein Rishton Ke Sur. The actor's latest outing is Ek Extra Mile on Voot. Produced by Rainshine Studios and Maruti Dzire, the show follows Abhishek, a successful, career-oriented man who goes on a road trip with his family to figure out his priorities in life. He goes that extra mile to seek the true meaning of life. In an interview with Indulge, Anuj talks about the show and why he came onboard:
What attracted you to this slice of life story?
When we first read the story, I was reminded of another fun web series that was based on a road trip. I met Gaurav (Arora, director) who was very passionate about this project. A director is the captain of the ship and if he is enthusiastic then I usually trust and get onboard. Then when we actually did the reading, I was convinced and came onboard. I think it's good to work with people who are much younger. They have a lot of ideas, and there's a new approach to concepts. Now a lot of new directors and DOPs are getting a break and it's good to work with them. I had also worked with Rainshine in the past, so all these reasons pushed me further to agree to this project.
This is your first role as a father on-screen... were you apprehensive about it?
I think now people want to see actors in different characters. They don't judge actors based on their characters. People do appreciate if you deliver a good performance, so this was a good opportunity.
Apart from the excitement that what we see on the show, how much fun was it to shoot?
We were given freedom to be ourselves and explore the character according to our perspective. So this was the good part and we also explored many places where people haven't shot before. We shot at Sanchi Stupa and it was beautiful. When I posted a picture on my social media, many people asked me about it. Plus the chemistry between Meghana (Kaushik who plays the wife) and Neev (Ahuja who plays the son) was on point. Neev was so sharp he would also remember my lines and would give me a cue, and this way we would also improvise.
What do you want people to take away from this show?
It's a family show and people can relate to many issues in a comical way.
How have you managed to stay in business for so long?
You need to be around and just keep hustling. You can write, act, produce or play music. Taking a break is fine, but you need to keep yourself engaged.