Vishal Vashishtha Exclusive Interview: “I Don’t Think I'm Made For Bigg Boss”

Calm and cool, actor Vishal Vashishtha entered the show business in 2013 with the V Channel show, Crazy Stupid Ishq. But it was Beyond Dreams’ long-running family drama, Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera, which shot him to instant fame and made him a household name across the country.

After Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera bid adieu to audiences after a successful run of three years, Vishal Vashishtha won raves for his restrained performance in the social drama show, Gangaa, which revolved around the issue of widow remarriage. The actor then went on to play lead roles in such shows as Jaat Ki Jugni and Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki.

After staying away from television for a couple of months, Vishal Vashishtha is back to the small screen with a new show called, Vish: A Poisonous Story. As the title suggests itself, Vish is a supernatural series which features the actor as the male lead.

Ahead of the premiere of the Vish: A Poisonous Story on Colors, STARBIZ correspondent Mohnish Singh meets Vishal Vashishtha for a candid conversation on his new show, his character in it and how is it going to be different from other supernatural soaps that are hogging all the limelight on prime-time.

Vishal, your new show, Vish: A Poisonous Story, is all set to hit the tube on 10^th June. How excited are you ahead of its premiere?

Well, this is the first fantasy show that I am doing right now. I was very excited when I agreed to do it. Shooting with chroma and figuring out how to shoot and everything is going to be exciting. It is going to be a tedious shoot as well because, as I said, we will be shooting a lot of scenes on chroma.

But I am very excited to be on the floor. We have already started shooting the show. Recently, I got to see some of my rushes from the show. So, it is exciting. It takes time. You have to really brighten up your senses and imagine what is going on in front of you because there is nothing actually. So, yeah, it is going to be a lot of fun, I think.

Brief us about your character on the show.

So, my character’s name is Aditya. Basically, the whole story around Sabrina’s character, which played by Debina. She is a Vishkanya (poison girl) and how she is on her journey to find her male host body to make her lover survive for the whole life is what you will see on the show.

She needs to find a body which happens to be one of the Kothari’s. So, that is the whole story. How I play my role and how my character finds his purpose is something which we initially don’t see. Initially, my character does not have any purpose at all. So, how he finds the purpose of his life and how he realizes his life is important, you will see all of that and much as the story progresses.

How did you prepare for your role?

Actually, there are certain roles for which you do not need to prepare a lot. This role is one of them. There are some instances in your life where you behaved a certain way or you have such people around you who are very callous and casual, who are very rich and spoilt. We come across such situations a lot, especially in Mumbai. I mean, you go to Bandra or Pali Hill, you will see a lot of them. So, for the preparation of this character, getting reference was the main task, which was easily found.

What does come to your mind when you hear the world “Vish”?

Over the years that I have been working in the television industry, I have realized that it has only one meaning for others, but for me, it's meaning changes. When I hear the word, I feel it is me. It is all about perspectives, I feel. A lot of people believe that 13 is an unlucky number. However, for me, it is a very lucky number because I was born of 13^th. So, as soon as I hear “Vish”, I feel it is a hope.

Do you have any plans to make a crossover to Bollywood?

Gradually, I am shifting, trying to work through digital media. I am not only focused on Bollywood. I want to do something which has an impact also not only on me but on others as well. I enjoy doing what I do. I deeply concentrate on it, think about it and consult with people as to how to go about it without blankly picking up the scripts and reading lines from it and putting on screen. When I act, I should not look like as if I am reading outlines for the screen.

Do you feel you have reached that position where you can choose your scripts?

I do not work with that thought process. I think I respect myself as an individual and respect others who are making content, but I also strive to make my own content. The world has changed. There are so many opportunities available now. You can write your own script and send it across. If it is good, people will like it. There you go. That is the start.

Would you like to participate in a show like Bigg Boss?

I don’t think that I am made for Bigg Boss. Honestly, I am a very calm and composed person. I like to keep to myself. I cannot talk much and cannot get into controversy for the heck of it. Even if two people are fighting at my home, I just calm them down. I say, “Don’t fight. Chill. It’s going to get over. Let us rise above that.” So, I think Bigg Boss can wait. I think I need a different kind of training to be able to participate in a show like Bigg Boss.

Do you have any dream role?

There are plenty of them. For people like us who have grown up watching movies and got passionate about the entire film industry, there are a lot of roles which we look up to. There are so many roles that you want to do as an actor. There are so many classic movies which we have seen. Some films are very heavy in their content, some are plain and subtle. So, yeah, there are many roles that I would like to do.

Coming back to your show Vish, how is it going to be different from other supernatural shows that are already on-air on various channels?

It is not saturated. It has got space to bring in more colors. It’s dark, it’s eerie and it’s quite bold. I think that is what that seems pretty fascinating.

Produced by Alind Srivastava and Nissar Parvej, "Vish: The Poisonous Story" is set to premiere on 10^th June at 10:30 PM only on Colors.