Karan Wahi has always been known as the ‘good boy,’ so much so the star is fully aware that his image as a gray-shaded lawyer in the trending show Raisinghani vs Raisinghani on SonyLIV might come as a surprise to his fans. Known for his roles as Ranveer Sisodia in the teen drama series Remix (2004-2006) and as Dr Siddhant Modi in the medical youth show Dill Mill Gayye (2009-10), the actor made his Bollywood debut with a supporting role in Habib Faisal’s romantic comedy film Daawat-e-Ishq (2014) and later in Hate Story 4 (2018). We catch up with the hunky actor on the set of his current show that also stars Jennifer Winget, Reem Shaikh and Sanjay Nath to talk about the show, fitness and a lot more…
“Raisinghani vs Raisinghani is a courtroom drama that focuses on a sharp-witted young lawyer (Jennifer) making her mark in her father’s law firm. Anushka (essayed by Jennifer) and Virat (essayed by me) are two young lawyers who were once in love and are now at loggerheads. Bound by destiny and brought together by their differences, the stakes are high in this professional rivalry between two people who have starkly diverse ideologies. Fans can look forward to a lot of courtroom drama, but there’s also love, romance and jealousy and the show tries to portray how lawyers are in real life. We often see lawyers caricatured as tropes in films and often more than not, these characters are exaggerated; but we’re trying to give you the real deal hoping, to get as close to reality as possible,” begins Karan, who grew up in a Punjabi-Kashmiri household in Delhi. Excerpts from the interview:
How do you manage to portray all these diverse roles? Do you need to prepare differently for each of them?
It does get tough to get into a role as every role is different. You need to really be clear on how to prepare for every role — as what needs to be done is unique to each role. Luckily for me, I have a few lawyer friends and watching them really helped me inside and outside the courtroom scenarios in the show. I was able to figure out the do’s and the don’ts — what the difference between etiquette in a sessions court, a high court or the Supreme Court is. We had to read a lot about cases and how they were dealt with. Lawyers really have to go through so much information and in a way, they are like actors, as they also need to memorise what to present in court, much like us actors before a camera.
Tell us some more about your character, Virat?
My character, Virat, is absolutely different to what I have played in the past. I have almost always played the ‘good guy.’ Virat, however, lives in greys and he is a flawed character. He is not perfect. So, you’ll see a lot of real-life situations that I’m sure viewers will identify with. Also, his ego is at a different level and so it was a lot of fun to essay this character.
Moving on to your physique, how do you continue to stay in such great shape?
It’s not very difficult to stay in shape, to be honest. You have to make a decision and stick to it. For me, it has been a gym regimen that I do not ever mess with. I ensure I take out time for workouts. For me, fitness is very important and it’s not just for the camera. If I am not at the gym, I try and play a sport. It’s all about discipline. I used to play cricket professionally and so that will always be a part of my life.
Do you have any skin care or hair care regimen?
I don’t have a skin or hair care regimen, but I do take my vitamins and supplements and that’s worked so far. I also try and stay as hydrated as possible. I should, however, get a regimen in place. Maybe, I will have one the next time we speak? Let’s hope (laughs).
We haven’t seen you venture out of Hindi shows and Bollywood. Are you open to working in other industries?
I have been offered work in the South, but, I didn’t have the dates then or I would have definitely taken the project up. I am open to working anywhere and in any language. It’s never about where the work comes from. It’s about how much the work excites me. That’s always what drives my interest in a project.
Raisinghani vs Raisinghani is streaming on SonyLIV.
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