I prefer to only do work that stands out and lets me perform – Himanshu Soni

After impressing the world with his so ‘real’ act in Zee TV’s Buddha, Himanshu Soni is all set to now don the avatar of Shiva for his next show Neeli Chhatri Wale. The show will present a man being visited by Shiva to help him choose the right path. Produced by Ashwini Dheer, the show will air on weekends.

When asked what made him chose two back to back ‘god’ roles in shows, Himanshu shares, “It’s not basically a god character in this show. I am more like a normal person and will be seen as god only in a month or so. My character Shivaya is actually the inner voice of Bhagwan Das (Yashpal Sharma) who wishes to take him in the right path.”

So why take up just religious shows? “See I am not really comfortable doing the usual love stories or saas-bahu sagas. I prefer to do work that stands out and gives me a chance to perform. At the end of the day I want to do films and Buddha helped me reach international levels. I am too choosy that way for I don’t want to be a part of the rat race but to emerge as a good actor. This is a very different role and I am sure it will only add to my credentials.”

When told that the show will rave in a lot of comparisons with Akshay Kumar’s Oh My God, Himanshu quips, “It is not similar to OMG as in that film Paresh’s (Rawal) character files a case against God and he comes down to teach him a lesson and the right virtues. But here he is the one who helps him to follow his heart. The only thing common is that the god is just visible to a particular person and not the entire world.”

With moving to a new production house, we wondered if he is able to find a comfort zone. “An actor’s life moves ahead with every show. And I am one actor who just believes in working consistently, so it doesn’t really matter. I don’t even leave the sets during breaks and prefer staying on the sets and learning the nitty-gritties of filmmaking.”

And finally when asked about his equation with Yashpal, Himanshu shares, “He has now become a great friend. And since he can only see me in the show, our chemistry has become really great. It’s fun shooting with him and I am sure viewers will also like it a lot.”

The show launches 30 August, 8 pm.