![]( "Naagin's Ritik aka Arjun Bijlani does not think he copied the Bajirao look!")
Arjun says his double role in Naagin gave him an opportunity to learn more and expand his talent.
Naagin fans have been waiting for the exciting finale episodes of the show only with the heartening promise from the makers that their favourite Rivanya jodi will come back with the next season. And it’s not just the fans, but also Naagin’s cast and crew who got real emotional on the day they wrapped up the show. We thought; why not hear about the entire experience with Naagin from the horse’s mouth? So, Bollywood Life chatted with Arjun Bijlani to find out what he thinks about the show. Here are some excerpts from an interview:
How would you define your journey through Naagin?
I truly can’t put in words the journey I have had with Naagin. It’s one of the biggest shows that I have done. It has taught me a lot and has put me on a different platform altogether. The numbers that came in were really unexpected and I can’t thank people enough for what they have made Naagin into. The show was supposed to be a 36-episode finite series, but it got extended to eight months owing to the tremendous support from viewers. We were supposed to shoot only for three months initially. So I automatically got attached to the show. Now that the finale episodes have started, I can’t deny the fact that I am emotional. But all good things come to an end and so will Naagin Season 1. I would like to thank Ekta and Colors for giving this to me. My journey in Naagin has been wonderful and career changing. As an actor, you always want people to look up to your work. You want people to talk about it and tell you that they really love your work. All that happened with Naagin. Especially because I was playing a double role; I played Ritik as well as the older role of his father Sangram Singh. So, I am a happy man now that Naagin has ended on such a high note.
Did you ever feel that the extension of screenplay changed the theme of the show? Which were the hard parts while shooting?
The story was always definite. The screenplays keep changing and things keep adding up. I don’t think even the writers know how they are going to shape up the story initially. So, you always have a broader story and then elements are added to the show. But throughout this journey, it was always different as it was shot a lot on chroma. This made it different from the other regular shows. I have learnt so much as you have to imagine a lot of things that are not there in front of you while shooting on chroma. Television actors have very little time to prepare. So, we managed to do this only because of the amazing guidance from the writer and the director. Also, as an actor, you add your own nuances and character to it. That’s what I kept doing.
Were there times when you found yourself laughing away at the scenes?
Yes, several times. The funniest would be when the two Naagins would interchange among themselves. They used to be morphed on screen. But in reality, what I had to do was freeze. Mouni (Mouni Roy) would get into my arms and but I couldn’t see her face and then it had to turn into Adaa (Adaa Khan). Which means Mouni would get out, I would freeze and Adaa would get in. We all three would crack up during such scenes.
Would you say you lived every guy’s dream of having two women jumping on him?
No never! I never look at women falling on to me as a plus point. I am an actor. When it comes to the craft, I am very serious about it. To me, it was just two actresses doing their job and me doing mine. But if you ask me jokingly, yes it does sound funny that two beautiful women are falling on the guy. Also, when you are working, there are hundred people on the sets, you are thinking about the scene and about getting it right. With all these thought processes, your mind doesn’t go that way at all.
Did the warrior outfit make you conscious for being compared with that of Bajirao’s from the movie Bajirao Mastani?
Actually, there was this one flash cut that we had to shoot where I play the double role of Ritik as well as his father Sangram Singh. This scene was my father’s younger version where he was at war with the Mahishmathis. So when I went on set, they told me I had to wear this outfit and what the scene was. You don’t get to know the scene before going to the sets. I was surprised too, so I did it to the best of my capabilities and I hope that people like it too. I don’t look at it as the Bajirao Mastani outfit because before Ranveer Singh, a lot of war movies have seen actors sport the same outfit. It’s just that the film is so fresh in everyone’s mind right now that they are comparing my look to that of Ranveer’s. These looks have been going on since years.
Describe your memorable moments from the show.
There was this one scene that I did and the entire unit applauded it including my co-actors and the director. That one moment for an actor where the whole unit comes up to you and says, “Sir, scene bohot acha kiya!” is what you actually earn. This was the scene where I confront Mouni as I find out that she’s a Naagin. There was another one where I have this conversation with the nevla. Honestly, there are a lot of scenes that have been memorable. But if I had to pick then I would name these two.
Well, we have no doubts that Arjun will be taking back a lot from the show. We wish him good luck for his future endeavours.
