On public demand

Vijayendra Kumeria

He was aware that playing Armaan Oberoi, a television producer in Mose Chhal Kiye Jaaye, may not make him a fan favourite. But Vijayendra Kumeria was pleasantly surprised to see how the audience lapped up his manipulative character. "It was a challenge to get the audience to like even the wrong things I was doing. [I consider it a] success as an actor." The daily soap revolves around a young, passionate writer Soumya who dreams to be independent and free her family from debt. Convinced that she will make a perfect life partner, Armaan - her boss - tries to mould her as per his idea of a perfect housewife. He almost succeeds, until the curtains of his deception fall.

When the show was offered, Kumeria was not convinced about coming on board at first. A second sitting and a detailed narration from the producer gave the actor more clarity. He says, "Shashi [Mittal] ma'am explained the graph of my character. There was a lot to do as an actor in this." But that's not all. Kumeria adds that the show also has a social message, which convinced him to finally come on board. "Shows should be issue-based, of course, [with a bit of] entertainment. [It reflects on] how women should be treated and be empowered. A lot of people still believe that men and women are not equals, and that post marriage, a woman's sole responsibility is towards her home," he explains. Kumeria hopes that the men watching his show change their patriarchal ways, and "women understand when they are being manipulated".

Love stories are often key to a daily soap's success, especially one that begins with hate. While Kumeria agrees that there is a plethora of intense love stories, there is nothing wrong with giving the audience what they want to see. "Viewers have always liked that kind of story. They laugh, cry, and get connected to the character. They like to see the journey from hate to love. We call it nokh jhok, like the taming of the shrew or beast. [As an actor], there is a lot of layering to such characters and a lot to play with."