You said that you often catch up with Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino… through their movies. What about them do you like?

They are the epitome of method acting. Every time I watch them I learn from them. All the biggest names of method acting, they feel whatever they are doing so well that there's not a single moment when they are laughing or crying or whatever they are doing… they are actually feeling that. They are in it 100 per cent. If it is shown that somebody is dying in front of them and they are acting that they are actually feeling it. That's the height of method.

Basically acting is playing pretend. When we were small kids we would play chor-police. To be able to put yourself into this different world and to be able to play this person and be able to feel the person completely is something that has always attracted me. The people who do this the best, I can just watch them forever. Each time I learn something.

'You need to be competent, to be on time, to have a strong work ethic. If you have all these then its fine, you'll get more work as opposed to the kind of actor who producers don't want. What they want are people who are fast.'

Mumbai, April 9: Has it been difficult working with three newcomers on Kasamh Se?
It’s brought a lot of energy to the production and the credit for that goes to the kids. I haven’t really tried to teach them anything but occasionally when they do ask for my advice, I’m happy to help out.

You’ve worked hard at looking the part of an older man. Aren’t you afraid of being typecast?
I want to play all kinds of characters—young, old, funny, serious. Even when I was offered the part, it was Ekta’s idea to improvise with the look for Jai Walia. I have noticed that many of my colleagues are afraid to look older. But it doesn’t bother me at all.

Gautami and you are expecting your first child. How are you preparing for it?
She’s the one doing all the work—painting rooms, moving in furniture. My shooting schedule is just too hectic.

The two of you had great chemistry in Ghar Ek Mandir and Dhadkan. Will you work together again?
She will definitely work again. There has been talk of us working together on a Balaji show.

You’ve always done peripheral roles in films. Any major projects coming up?
I’ve never actually looked out for roles. Right now, with this show, my plate is full. There are a couple of film projects that will start in the next few months.

You’ve left quite a few shows midway. Has that ever worked against you?
Not really. I don’t foresee any problems with the current show, so I think I’m in for the long haul. There has also been talk of another show for Balaji itself. Right now they’re trying to adjust my dates.

Ram Kapoor TV actor

When and how did you get a break in television

After graduating from acting school, I kept meeting people but the offers I was getting were pretty sideline work. Not that I was looking for only main leads but the roles were uninspiring so I kept saying no. Then in television I got a very good break, thanks to Mr Sudhir Mishra. He first called me to see him for a film. But that film did not work out. So two months later when we met he said there's a TV serial that he was going to direct and asked me if I would be interested in it. The serial was Nyay produced by Nimbus production house. The serial took time to pick up but once it got on air… six months later my phone started ringing nonstop for television.

No sooner had you become a name to reckon with in series like Nyay, Ghar Ek Mandir (GEM)and more recently in Kavita, that you suddenly disappeared altogether from television…
After Nyay for a while I did not take up any work. Then Ghar Ek Mandir came about, the screenplay was excellent, production house was Balaji. That got very popular and got me a lot of television work. Plus at one point I was doing four serials at one time.

I never wanted to do that much, but it all just kind of fell into my lap. It was kind of hard to say no to work. Sanghursh, Kavita, Nyay, and Ghar Ek Mandir. At that point I decided I didn't wanted so much.

So I left two serials. One was Kavita and the second was Sanghursh.
In Sanghursh my role was such that I go away after 13 episodes for about 8 episodes and then make a comeback. So I took a decision that I would not come back and my producers were okay with that.

Then this big project came along, I am not at liberty to talk about it but it is a project that an actor like myself has been waiting for. Not that it's a lead role or anything but it is a fantastic project. And that required a lot of preparation, lot of training, and they wanted exclusivity. Which is justified. So at that point I had to also take a decision to opt out of Ghar Ek Mandir, though I did not want to do that because I was very close to the show for many reasons. It did very well for me careerwise. My fans loved it. Secondly the whole unit was like a family. It was brilliant. In fact I was told to leave it (GEM) by December-end but I still continued through the whole of January, February and half of March because it took me two more months to adjust to the fact that I had to leave it.

Since then I haven't taken on any television work and have been doing pretty much only this project.

Why is the project taking so much time?
It is a very big project. There are a lot of big names involved because of that coordinating becomes a big problem. So there are a lot of delays happening. It could take at least a year more.

How has your experience been with the television industry?
I have no reasons to complain since I've been very lucky. I've struggled so to speak in the beginning since I had to meet a lot of people when I wasn't getting work for six months, but then I got my break so I don't think I've anything negative to speak about the industry. Yes it is true in the Indian television industry there is a lot of unprofessionalism. It is not very organised like the corporate world. If you are an actor who has chosen to be a part of this industry then you have to look always at the good and not the bad. If you focus on the bad then what's the point. There is bad in every industry if you focus on the good then you're okay.

You left Ghar Ek Mandir quite abruptly I believe it hasn't been taken well by audience and even the production house?
I don't have anybody else to blame. As an actor definitely you have to be true to your audience, they are everything after all. But in terms of career you are always looking for breaks and when it finally comes you have to take the plunge. I am not a star who has things in control. I can't say okay I'll do this one year later and they'll wait for me. So there I was faced with a choice. Either I continue with my work because I know that's what my audience wants and I do that at the risk of letting go something like this or since I finally got the opportunity that I was looking for definitely I have to go for it.

In GEM since most of you all, even Sangamitra and two or three others, left the serial as the same time, couldn't the show have been concluded before a big chunk of the team left?
We did talk about it. When I met Ekta (Kapoor, Balaji Telefilms creative director) and Shobhaji (Shobha Kapoor, Balaji promoter) they heard me out completely. They realised it was going to be a problem for the show, but they did understand that from an actor's point of view, he has to do this. When they spoke to the channel (Sony Entertainment Television), they put a lot of pressure because the channel was getting a lot of feedback from the audience. The Rahul-Anchal track was working very well so they didn't want anything to happen there. So at that point we - me and my CO-actors - met the scriptwriter, the Balaji team and the channel and suggested that the show be concluded. We offered to give extra dates around the show while an appropriate ending was worked out.

But at that point the show was doing very well and the channel did not want to end it.

Additionally, at the time I left, nobody knew that the other people would also leave. Though I was the first to leave, there were no talks at the time of any other people leaving.