Hitesh Bharadwaj reveals why he agreed for Udaariyaan; says, “I was quite dicey initially”
Post the leap in Udaariyaan, the makers have introduced Hitesh Bharadwaj as the new lead of the show aka Aekam. Along with him, Twinkle Arora has also been roped in to essay the role of Nehmat and Sonakshi Batra as Naaz.
During a recent interview with ETimes TV, Hitesh opened up about his character in the show and the reason behind agreeing to the show.
He said, “I had to shift from Mumbai to Chandigarh, I was quite dicey initially about whether I wanted to do it or not. I have always believed that the makers always make the show big. Udaariyaan has been quite successful and I wanted to work with them. When I saw the show I found the visuals quite real as everything is available.”
When asked about the difference in experience from Choti Sarrdaarni as both shows have Punjab as their backdrop, Hitesh replied, ‘It is a completely new experience, in Choti Sarrdaarni we had the backdrop of Punjab but then we were shooting in Mumbai. With Udaariyaan, we are shooting in Punjab and everything is accessible out here. Here I get to see the people, the culture, and the lingo. I am getting to learn a lot of new things, slowly I am getting involved with the character. The shooting experience is completely different from Mumbai so yes, I am getting to learn and experience new things.”
Talking about the experience of shooting in Chandigarh, he said, “I haven’t got a lot of time from the shoot to explore the city yet. I am working with Radio as well so it is quite hectic. It has been a juggle between the shoot, recording and Radio. My schedules are very tight so I haven’t got much time to explore. I have just stepped into the city and heard there is a lot to explore. Here, the show’s responsibility is a bigger concern for now.”
Now that he is the lead of the show, does he experience a sense of responsibility? “I can say for myself that the responsibility is not for the show but for what I have done as an artist. Udaariyaan is already a hit show, thankfully the ratings are quite good. The hard work that every artist does for the show must be highlighted.”
When asked about his prep for the role, Hitesh shared, “I do preparations for all my characters, I don’t work without any preparations. For Aekam, I added some shades to the character. We created a graph and a character sketch after discussions. I used to sit, listen to everyone speaking in Punjabi. I used to understand their way of speaking, there were a lot of preparations that went behind creating the character.”
Talking about his bond with the cast and crew of Udaariyaan, he shared, “The entire team of Udaariyaan is fantabulous, I am really thankful to Uttam Sir. He is more than passionate about the show. He inspires us to look at the show like it is our own baby and work hard towards it. I am just not earning, I am investing my time and values. The team’s response was great, with the cast, I have scenes mostly with Twinkle till now and I share a great bond with her and even Sonakshi. All of them are great and I am grateful to be a part of the show.”
Talking further about his role as Aekam, he added, “Realism, I believe in realism and with Aekam, everyone would relate to the character and his reality. Aekam is a real character and fans should see him as a relatable character that one would find around.”
For the unversed, the previous lead of the show, Ankit Gupta and Priyanka Chahar Choudhary left the show because they didn’t want to become parents to the new generation in the show.