‘Kunal is still trying to fight his inner demons’- Sameer Soni

Sameer Soni shares with us his journey of playing Kunal in Parichay Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka on Colors…

You had told me before this show started that this show was about Kunal who was trying to fight his inner demons. Kunal it seems is still unhappy and still fighting his inner demons…
Yes, Kunal is still trying to fight his inner demons. When the fight will be over, the show will also be over. Kunal has gone through various ups and downs in life during the course of which he has fought with his inner self.

Siddhi and Kunal were compelled to marry, despite Siddhi being engaged to Kunal’s late younger brother Anand. Yes, Kunal and Siddhi did fall in love. However many people may not have been able to fall in love in a situation like this. Whereas I realize that this was Kunal’s ailing mom’s wish that they marry but don’t you think that parents should think more liberally than force marriage on them like this?
I absolutely agree that a marriage like this should never be forced on by parents on their children. So realistically and logically this kind of marriage makes no sense whatsoever. I won’t support a situation like this in real life. However this is a soap, so a track like this was done to create drama for the audience. Having said that, in real life marriages like this do happen. In Parichay Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka it wasn’t a forced marriage although there was pressure from both Kunal and Siddhi’s parents that they get married. Ultimately they are the ones who decided to tie the knot. So marriage was finally their individual decisions.

The track on Bade Acche Laggte Hai and on your show are similar. Husband and wife are now not together but they are deeply in love. The wife was in prison because of no fault of hers. The husband is still loving wife silently but is openly in denial. Do you know as to why Ekta Kapoor decided to repeat this somewhat similar track?
Very honestly, I don’t have the time to watch Bade Acche Laggte Hai. It is after all Ekta Kapoor, the creative team and the writers who make these decisions. So I wouldn’t know if this similarity is intentional or not.

With the temporary shift of the show to the 10:30pm slot- do you think it will make TRP decline? Does that worry you?
Some of those who were used to watch this show at the 9:30pm slot may not be initially aware that the show has been shifted to the 10:30pm slot. Now we will be in direct competition with Bade Acche Laggte Hai of the same production house on the same time slot. The more competition the merrier. This will simply mean that our creative team will put in more hard work. However I am not worried even if the TRP declines. Hopefully the TRP should catch up later. I am just looking forward to what happens.

Kunal was a great student and lawyer. However he is still a fallen hero. I mean he can do much better professionally. Do you think that gives him an inferiority complex? Do you think he is upset to work in a subordinate position to his wife?
No, I don’t think that gives Kunal an inferiority complex. Currently we aren’t concentrating all that much on his professional track. Right now we are exploring how Kunal is as a father and his relationship with his ex-wife. As far as his profession is concerned, of course he is still struggling to find his foothold. It doesn’t matter to him that his wife is his boss. However he does have a problem with the fact that he knows more than his wife about the law.

You had initially told me that you can identify with this role. Can you still identify with this role?
Yes I can identify with the core of the character of Kunal. However I do find some inconsistencies in his characterization which I find difficult to incorporate. Only the tip of the iceberg has been explored as far as Kunal’s characterization is concerned.

What about Kunal do you like?
I like everything about Kunal including his weaknesses, that is what makes him human after all. To be a complete character, he should be neither black nor white but grey. I think he is one of the most memorable characters on Indian television.

What about Kunal do you dislike?
Kunal has his heart in the right place. Only he is rash and doesn’t think much.

If you met Kunal what advice would you give him?
I would advise Kunal to stay away from Richa and not believe in what she says.

You must be having a tight schedule now. How do you spend the little spare time that you have?
I hardly socialize. I spend time with my wife. My pet dog Casper, a stray which I adopted is always there to make me happy.

It is very nice that you adopted a stray. Please tell me about your pet Casper.
My friend got me a stray puppy with a broken leg. His foot has been run over by a car. He is God’s gift to us. I found him adorable at first sight. He likes bones, meat with rice and chapatis. He dislikes milk. He is a very calm and well-behaved dog. He hardly barks. The naughtiest thing he did is chew my shoes, belts and books. He loves home pujas. When we were having a puja at home, he came and sat quietly between me and my wife till the puja was over.