In the trailer of Ananth Mahadevan’s Aksar 2, popular TV actor Gautam Rode’s steamy scenes with Zareen Khan have garnered a lot of curiosity among his fans. The television audience is quite conservative when it comes to accepting their favourite actors in bold avatars but Gautam, during the promotion of the film, says that times have changed and so has the audience. “The perception of TV viewers has changed. Our fan following is not restricted to India but we have several international fans. Indian shows are aired across 43 countries and dubbed in several languages,” he says, adding that Saraswatichandra is a huge success in Latin America.
The Saraswatichandra, Maha Kumbh: Ek Rahasaya, Ek Kahani fame actor says, “I do not want people to come to the theatre with preconceived notions otherwise they will get disappointed. Aksar 2 is not a bold film, it is rather an old school suspense thriller and not an erotic film.”
The actor says that he wanted to do something different. “I want to play different characters and that’s the message we even get from the audience via social media. They want us to do comedy, action, thriller, and grey characters. It’s a challenge for us to see if we will be able to pull it off,” he says. The actor who made his television debut with Jahan Pyaar Mile says that if he continues playing the same kind of roles, there are chances of him getting stagnant.
He says that his role in Aksar 2 has both positive and grey shades. “I play the role of an investment banker who tries to capitalise an opportunity but soon realises that it is not as easy as it seems,” he says.
“I do not believe in negative characters. Every human has grey shades. But that’s the thing with television – every character is either completely positive or negative. I have only played positive characters on television. It’s different in films though,” he says about the difference in the character sketches on TV and in films.
Aksar 2 isn’t Gautam’s debut film, he has already worked in films like Agyaat. “When I did Agyaat, I wasn’t popular as a television actor so I didn’t get offers. But after that I did television shows non-stop for almost five years. I always like to do one project at a time,” he says, citing another reason for accepting the film being its success as a brand and that of its music. “In addition to that, the character is also interesting,” he adds.
Gautam, who was last seen in Suryaputra Karn, while talking about his director Ananth Mahadevan and co-star Zareen says that he has thoroughly prepared for his role but Ananth wanted him to be completely different on screen, which was fun. “As for Zareen, she is a nice person and a good friend. She is a natural and effortless actress and a straightforward person,” he says.
Aksar 2, which releases on October 6, also stars Abhinav Shukla, Lillete Dubey and others.