White Knight - Barun Sobti
He might as well have been a prince picked out of a fairytale. Barun is a strikingly good looking guy with vibrant, pronounced features and yet his stance signals a complete lack of presumption. I felt that this might be a tough interview because he seems like a very shy and reserved kind of a person but I am pleasantly surprised as Barun’s candid banter dominates our conversation and he offers detailed answers to my questions with grace and good humor. As an actor, he brings a lot to the table – presence, intelligence and vulnerability and he has that perfect combination of soulfulness and attitude that make him the quintessential romantic lead. Unapologetic for the choices he makes, Barun refuses to put on a mask for anyone…after all why not do what you really think and learn from your choices? Tinsel Gupshup gives you Barun Sobti – The White Knight
TG: Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon was a beautiful show. Can you tell us a bit about landing the role of Arnav Singh Raizada?
BS: The creative team and the makers of IPKKND contacted me. They called me up and said that they were coming up with a romantic love saga and that it would be a ‘one of a kind’ show on STAR Plus. At that time, I was already doing a show and feeling extremely overworked so I really did not know what to do. Usually shows on STAR Plus go on for a few years so I was not sure if I wanted to commit to something that would go on for a long time. I resisted but the channel and the makers asked me to come in to see what the part was all about. So, I went and auditioned for the role and I really liked it and the channel and the makers really liked me! Things just clicked and I became Arnav Singh Raizada…
TG: You have played some interesting characters on television but would you consider Arnav as a turning point?
BS: Ummm...I don’t know. Career wise, I might be in a better position to answer that question a year from now. However, if you talk about numbers then yes, IPKKND is the biggest show I have been a part of. It was a massive production and I received so much love and appreciation from the viewers. So in those terms…yes, this was a huge show for me.
TG: “If you want to continue being an artist, I think fame is a hindrance.” You are a very famous actor, has it been a hindrance in any way?
BS: Ummm…yes and no. Fame will become a hindrance if you let it. I think I am a very grounded person and I lead a very sorted life so luckily I have not had any ‘fame’ related issues or problems. Everyone has ups and downs; they are a part of life. As an actor, in this industry, the only difference is that everyone is watching the decisions we make in our personal and professional lives. The lack of privacy can be a bit of a hindrance but you just have to stay focused and grounded.
TG: When you look back, from the time you entered the industry to now…do you feel you have grown as an actor…as a person? Barun back then to Barun now…what is the difference?
BS: I don’t know why people have this misconception that it is extremely difficult to make it in this industry…it’s not that bad. If you are a good looking person and speak well then it’s really not that hard to make it here. I sent my pictures to a friend who passed it on to a channel and when the channel saw them…they liked me and hired me! I came to Mumbai from Delhi, met the channel people, the meeting went really well, they said they will pay me this much and I was like, ‘Great...let’s do it!’ So, it’s not like I was discovered or something…things just happened in a naturally progressive way for me. Am I any different from when I first came into the industry? Well, now, after so many years, I am more alert. Initially when I started out, I was scared, I lacked confidence and I did not know what I was doing. That is not the state anymore. I am aware of my choices, the people around me and the industry. I am conscious about how a character would think, I think two steps ahead – how will people react if my character does something, will people like this etc…so I am more tuned to people’s reactions and expectations. Apart from that, I am the same guy. I have not changed as a person. I am just more alert.
TG: You have a massive fan following…so many girls crazy about you…has it sunk in that you are of the most desirable actors on TV today?
BS: Laughs…I don’t know…that is quite a….I don’t know. I suppose you just have to be well behaved and take the appreciation well.
TG: You have modeled and acted…which do you prefer?
BS: I have only done advertisements and it is pretty much the same as acting. Modeling is short term and glamorous whereas acting is more meaningful…so I would pick acting. You have to understand that daily serials go on for years and I don’t know about other actors but after a certain period of time, there really isn’t anything new that you can contribute to a character. I am sure most television actors will agree with me and maybe no one will say this out loud, but I feel that the life of a show should be limited. After a certain point, as an actor, the only thing I can do is just say my lines…I cannot build on my character any more. At the same time, people fall in love with a show and a character and then it becomes impossible to let go…for the viewers, makers and the person playing the role. So acting in television is a bit of a paradox. When IPKKND was ending most of the people who would come to interview me would make it sound like I was dying or something. I used to laugh and tell them to relax…my role is ending…but Barun will be around. I suppose we have to learn how to draw the line between reel and real.
TG: Out of all the characters you have played, which one are like most?
BS: There are shades of me in each character I have played so I can’t pick one favourite. All of them are very dear to me. Maybe…if I had to pick one, I would pick Shravan’s character from Baat Humaari Pakki Hai. It’s not that I identify with Shravan the most but I just loved that show. Baat was a memorable experience for me.
TG: We have heard that you are a very emotional person. In any of the shows you have acted in, have you ever grappled with any scene? Maybe because it was an emotional one or you just could not identify with the situation?
BS: Oh yes! That happens all the time actually. Television is a very hands on industry so we get scenes or situations that seem completely unreal and unimaginable and then it becomes difficult to look at the larger picture and put things into perspective. At times, it becomes difficult to make people believe but that is what television is all about. On the one hand as an actor, I have to be convinced about the situation to be able to portray it well but most of the time whether I am convinced or not…it has to be done…the episode has to go to telecast. I can’t even begin to give you examples because there have been so many scenes that I have grappled with but as an actor, my job is to convince myself as quickly as possible and play it with conviction. You can only deliver if you are convinced otherwise there is no point in doing it. Luckily, the people I work with love and respect me so if I have a hard time in terms of conviction then I just talk it out with the writers and makers and we find a way to move forward.
TG: You have portrayed two very prominent and romantic roles on television. Are you a romantic at heart? What is the most romantic thing you have done for your wife?
BS: Umm…ya…I don’t know (laughs). My wife will probably be the best judge of that so I don’t know. I am a very private person so (laughs again) I really don’t know…
TG: To many people you will always be Arnav Singh Raizada. What do you like about the character and what do you hate about him?
BS: The character had a lot of substance and I loved the way it was written. People can talk and talk but with Arnav, I mean even when the guy made eye contact…he spoke volumes! I have maintained that Arnav’s character was extremely well written and the only reason I was able to play him well was because of the way it was written. People don’t give much credit to the writers so I would like to take this opportunity to applaud my writers for the way they shaped Arnav Singh Raizada! I can’t say that there was anything that I disliked about Arnav because again there were good reasons for the way he was. He was arrogant but I liked that…without the arrogance, there would have been no fun in playing him. Made him more intriguing and interesting.
TG: Do you visit forums and read what the fans of the show write about you? What is the most touching compliment from a fan?
BS: I actually refrain from reading what is being written about my character because it tends to cloud my mind. I know a lot of my friends who visit forums etc and I see that they get influenced by what the fans are saying so I refrain from doing the same. I work in my own way and there will always be criticism which I respect but I don’t let good or bad viewpoints affect my work. I am a very real guy and I am also very good at judging people’s reality so on my last day on the show, I was hugging everyone, saying goodbye and I could see that everyone on the set was sad to watch me go. So, this is not from a fan but a lot of the people told me that they have worked with many actors but never seen anyone like me. That was a huge compliment for me…I really loved that.
TG: Please share one or two of your favorite scenes with us?
BS: I love the scene where Arnav thinks that Shyam is going out with Khushi. His sister is pregnant and he sees Shyam and Khushi hugging so he just goes to this location in the middle of nowhere, screams at the top of his voice and breaks down. I absolutely loved that scene. From the very moment I had read that scene in the script…I just knew that this scene was going to be the best one in the entire show! You won’t believe it but we shot that scene in just 45 minutes! I was still shooting on the set and I had to rush to the location of this scene where Ashutosh (DOP) and Arshad (Director), had already set everything up. When I got to the location, Arshad told me that we had just one hour to finish the scene and wrap things up. I was so nervous because all along I had been so excited thinking about this scene and I had so many expectations from it but here I was being informed that we only had this limited time to get it right. So we just went with the flow and I thought it came out beautifully and everyone went gaga over that scene so I was extremely happy. That one hour was a lot of fun for me! I think in every show, there comes a time when the lead character feels the responsibility that this one particular episode or these many episodes are going to be riding on my back and if I don’t do well then it will all go downhill. So, I knew that Arnav’s breakdown scene was an opportunity for me to carry that burden and I knew that if that one scene came out perfect then people would start believing in the show and that is exactly what happened! I am very very proud of that scene.
Baat Humaari…I pretty much loved that show! That was the show where I proved myself as an actor. I was very nervous when I started and we had some very senior people from the industry who were a part of that show as actors, directors, photography etc. The best part for me was when I used to see a look of complete surprise on their faces when I would finish my scene and I have seen those expressions many many times! I have seen that same expression on the face of my director, Mr. Imtiaz Punjabi who has been around for a very long time. I mean a director will narrate a scene many times and the crew will watch the scene being performed so many times but if I could make the director and the crew laugh or clap during a take then that is huge compliment for me.
TG: Movies….or television. What is the experience like?
BS: It is all acting. Everyone asks me what the difference is and I always maintain that it is all acting. It might be a different experience for a director or a DOP because they have far more creative freedom in movies but for an actor it is all the same. Yes, TV mein thodaa saa pressure zyaada hota hai and one out of a hundred times you wish thodaa time aur mil gaya hota but that does not happen in movies. People feel that television is looked down upon and films are bigger and better but it’s not like that at all. I don’t know about other people but for me television is extremely grueling and it is very difficult to carry on doing the same thing over and over again for a long time. I am sure there must be other actors who are more intelligent and creative than me but beyond a point…I just got brain dead and I was just not the same anymore.
TG: So, you decided to leave the show…did you decide that you wanted to move on? Your character was loved and adored so it must have been a huge decision on your part…
BS: I had decided to leave IPKKND a while back actually. You do a million good things and people appreciate you but then you do one thing that people don’t agree with and they forget those million good things…but such is life. So, I was supposed to leave the show in February and when I spoke to the makers they told me that if I left, the show would not do well and lose all its prospects. I did not really agree with that because I believe that the story is king but they kept insisting so I agreed to stay till September. The monotony had already hit me and I knew that by September I would be completely drained out but I carried on and finally in November I put my foot down and opted out completely. My fans have been tremendously supportive and I am very grateful! I just wanted to add that I have never been on facebook or twitter but if and when I do join…I will share it with my fans through you so everyone can join me!
Photo credit: Barun Sobti
Video credit: Youtube
Barun Sobti News by Tinsel Gupshup
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