Model-turned actor Kushal Tandon who has played conventional roles on TV series like Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, Beyhadh and others, is finally essaying a role that satisfies him as an artiste. In ALTBalaji’s latest web series Bebaakee, the Mumbai-based actor plays the lead Sufiyaan, who has many shades. In between his shoots, Kushal, 35, who loves bingeing on web series and hitting his in-house gym, spoke about identifying with Sufiyaan, playing more raw characters and more. Excerpts:
The first season of Bebaakee is already out and you look great. What can we expect in the upcoming instalments of the season?
The response has been phenomenal and as an artiste that’s one of the biggest satisfactions. There are more episodes to be shot for the current season and as we proceed, we will get to see different shades of Sufiyaan. He is a guy you won’t mess with but he is very straight forward and ethical in his business. On the personal front, he has trust issues and does not believe in love and has a wall around him. But the babaaki (madness) starts when he eventually falls in love. I believe everyone has a shade of Sufiyaan in them. Everyone becomes fearless and does stuff for love, and that’s what we will see in the next instalment.
How much do you identify with Sufiyaan?
Sufiyaan has lots of layers and he is much like Kushal in real life. I also have a wall around me like him. People think I am a snob and I have an attitude problem but it takes time for me to open up to people. We differ on the fact that Kushal will not break all rules and limits to get something or someone. I let people go if they want to. I don’t hold them back.
How has it been working with your co-star Shiv Jyoti Rajput?
The team took a lot of time to zero in on the character. I did even workshops with a few and was quite relieved when Shiv Jyoti was finalised. She has done a lot of advertisements but this is her first show and she is a very hardworking girl.
How did you keep yourself in shape during the lockdown?
I am a person who doesn’t go out much so the lockdown did not make much of a difference to me; it’s just that we were unable to work. I enjoyed my time at home in Mumbai and even went to my hometown Lucknow when the flights resumed. I have a small gym set up at home and I kept myself busy there with weight lifting and kickboxing.
What’s next after Bebaakee?
Right now, I am concentrating on the show because the story has 50 episodes, which means there will be a second season as well before we wrap the first one. We will be resuming shoot in October. I would love to play raw characters like the ones in Mirzapur.