Param Singh, who has been part of several popular TV shows, enjoys a massive fan following on television. The actor, who started off his acting journey with a youth-based show, Sadaa Haq went on to explore different genres in the coming years and did shows like Ghulam, Haiwan and Ishq Par Zor Nahin.
Param joined ETimes TV for our exclusive segment Tellyblazer and talked about his journey in the industry, his struggles and absence from social media.
He also revealed during the interview how he chose to do television shows after a setback he faced early on in his career where he worked on a film for 4 months and was later told that they wanted a known face. He also shared his views on how actors have become a product on social media and are selling themselves and also opened up why he would never do a erotic genre or films promoting unnecessary violence, cuss words and drugs. Excerpts from the interview:
Were you disappointed when Ishk Par Zor Nahin was taken off-air?
Yes we definitely feel bad, but my field is all about rejections and everything is trial and error based. We are working in the form of art, and I didn’t have any idea that people would love it so much online. But it shut down as the ratings were not that great. Initially, I felt bad for 2/3 days but then I moved on. Because this was not my debut show, I’ve done shows before so I know every show has its journey. We were also in talks for season 2 but as we all know Akshita is doing another show so currently it is not possible anytime soon as the show won’t be possible without her. I would say Ishk Par Zor Nahin was a nice show, it was not dragged, people liked it, we were appreciated for the story, dialogues and performances.
What according to you is the most important thing for an actor to stay relevant in the industry?
I believe an actor needs to keep working on his craft. Acting for me is all about the choices you make in your career. I’ve tried to be versatile due to my choices but eventually the shot taking, the way they execute on television or how they mount a hero is very similar. So the challenge is to be different in the same things that you are offered. You will be told the show is different, the production house is different, the atmosphere is different but the way they execute a scene or the show is absolutely the same.
Carry on...
If an actor has to stay relevant they have to step out and do different stuff. They have to do theatre, OTT, short films, or even if you need to take a break and understand your career, you should do. Just don’t keep doing what you are offered. In our line of business actors get typecast very easily. If the previous show is hit, we will get 10 similar offers. It’s our guts, intuition and feeling and if we are not convinced we should not go for it. I know money is a very big motivation for a lot of people, but you need to try different stuff.
Do you feel cheated as an actor when you are promised something and you are asked to do something else?
Yes, we have our days, we do get frustrated when these things happen. Initially, you don’t because it is a new character and new people you are working with but slowly it starts creeping in. If you are an actor and you get a scene your job is to execute it properly. But you are getting to do the same thing for the last 15 days. For example you have been crying everyday in the show for the last one month over your dog’s death, as an actor you get bored and you won’t get emotional. You get confused about your role and then you don’t feel like doing the character. Having said that, you have to also trust your writers and producers. If you have signed a show it’s your responsibility to be convincing, honest. Whether you feel it or don’t feel you have to give it all. After the pack up and cut you feel what am I doing but I have to do my job. I liked doing Ishq Par Zor Nahin because maybe it didn’t run for that long. But there are shows which have been running for years and people are still doing the same things.
Has there been situations in life when you have done projects just for money?
Yes, I’ve done projects for money and I think every actor in their career has done work only for money. Initially, yes there were a couple of projects which I did for brand and money. I’ve still been choosy and I make sure that my character has to be different from my previous one. There was a time in my career when I was working on a show and I just didn’t want to continue but I extended for three months on that show just for money.
When was the time you realised you can be a hero or an actor?
I have had this feeling of becoming an actor since I was a kid. You might find it funny, when I would watch these old classic films in Hindi and English, I would forget about my problems. I had started watching them since I was very young. When I had watched Tom Cruise’s Top Gun, I would feel wow yaar ye kaise mount kiya hai… the hero in leather jacket, bike, aviator glasses. I was so naive at that time that I would feel I could also pull it off. But that league is different, he’s a legend. And as I was very shy I kept that feeling inside me. I wanted to act and the people who knew would always say that he looks good and I can be an actor.
You have done MBA in Finance from London, what made you keep all that aside and join acting?
My family wanted me to do an MBA degree as they felt I should have a post graduation degree. None of my family members are from this industry, so they always said finish your education and do whatever you want in life as the acting profession is not stable and could go anywhere and a simple BCom. degree would not take me anywhere. I never wanted to join my dad’s business, then I also went ahead and did my Masters in Finance so I had these two degrees. But deep down I know how I was studying. All day I would cinema and interview after my presentations. I was waiting to return to India and start my journey in the acting field. I returned to India and did a course from Barry John’s institute, I resumed doing stage shows, I began doing modelling and through that I got Sadda Haq and then I got more TV shows, this way it all started.
You just said that you do not have anyone or a God father in the industry, how did you manage to get work? Did you face rejections as well?
In my life I’ve just given 50-60 auditions, and haven't given many auditions. I feel if I had not joined television and waited to do films, my journey and struggle would have been difficult. To crack a film as a leading hero is very difficult and even a TV show is difficult but television still gives chance and opportunities to new people. In films it rarely happens when an outsider gets work, it is either someone related to the film family or somewhere related to the industry. Today, the boys who are bagging films or doing it, I've known them for 10 years, they have been trying their luck and are now getting roles. I won’t take names, but they started their careers with me and now they have got a chance to do a film. They sacrificed not doing what they never wanted to do and they are finally getting a film, in their journey they might have done less projects but they waited to do what they wanted to. I chose to work in television to better myself. I feel you won’t become an actor by sitting at home and watching films or reading books. I did not face so many rejections because while modelling, I bagged Sadda Haq and it ran for 2 and a half years and then someone referred me for Ghulam and things rolled out for me.
Why did you never wait to do films, were you not interested or you always wanted to do film?
No it’s not like that. I also waited for sometime and was supposed to do a film. I also did a workshop for that film. It was being made by Barry John sir and I remember many people had auditioned for it but I was lucky I got selected. This was in 2011 and I was very happy that I had cracked it and I was working with my guru. And you won’t believe that film released in 2018 on a OTT platform. It was made in 2012 and I even did a workshop for 4 months for the role. Later, the producers had told me that they needed a known face. I was a little shattered that time and that rejection hit me really hard. And I decided that I won’t wait to do films anymore. I had also spent a lot of money on my studies. And then you have your parents hopes, you also want to do something in life. I decided to prove myself and act whatever the platform is.
I have friends who are still waiting and have not done anything in their career so far just because they want to do films. They have just done 5/6 plays and nothing else. They are very happy, they get offered television shows but they don’t want to do it. The fact is everyone wants to do everything they also want: name, fame, money, satisfaction.
Didn't you feel cheated and bad that after working on a film, the makers informed you that they were looking for a known name?
I did feel bad, but you can’t just sit and judge everyone. After all, we know that it is also a business medium and not just art. I am not naive. I know after all it is a game and how you market it is very important. In fact, Barry sir had given my reference, but the producer wanted to market his film and he wanted a known name over me. He was also not a very big producer. The director also has a mindset that it is his first film so he wants to work with a known name. It was very difficult and shattering, but I don’t judge anyone here because it is a business. I felt bad and was questioning myself if I made a wrong choice or decision. But then you love your craft and you have heard so much from people like you had a degree from London you could have got a nice job why are you wasting your time, so you get strong after this. You just avoid and ignore. When that film was released on OTT nobody saw it, not even my friends. I saw the film and I felt great that I didn’t wait just for it, I would have wasted my mind. There’s also a mindset when a lot of casting directors feel that TV actors are over exposed. Luckily, I am not over exposed.
