Life has changed for 12-year-old Kartikey Raj since he started making waves as Khajur with his perfect comic timing in the popular television programme, The Kapil Sharma Show (TKSS). But, Raj has not let the celebrity status get to his head.
The spectacular talent from Patna, who has come a long way after winning the award for best actor in a comic role in India Best Dramebaaz Season 2 finals in 2016, remains humble and says there is now pressure on him to perform better.
Coming from a lower middle class family, Raj owes his success to his brother Abhishek and Kilkari Bal Bhawan, a Bihar government initiative to cultivate the creativity among children of 8 to 16 years.
“I did not have much interest in acting, but Abhishek told me to take admission in Kilkari Bal Bhawan, which offers healthy, tension free and joyful environment for children. There I was trained in acting and groomed as an entertainer for nearly four months before a team of ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’ came to Patna in 2013 for audition and selected me. That changed my life. I was taken to Kolkata for shoot and I lodged in big hotels. I have not looked back since then,” he said.
Raj’s mother Kiran Devi is a tailor and his father Moti Prasad a contractor in Patna.
“Like all other parents, we also wanted Raj to do well in academics. But, we have no regrets. Raj’s skills in acting have made him a celebrity. I always accompany him to the sets of TKSS. It is due to Raj that I have got chance to meet many superstars. Earlier, I used to always wonder how cinema works. How do the actors get on the screen? What is shooting and what is camera?” said Kiran Devi.
“I am fond of cinema and love watching movies of Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda. Right now also I am watching Govinda-starrer Naseeb,” she added.
Talking about his experience at TKSS, Raj said the fun and enjoyment behind the sets had been missing ever since popular stand-up comedians like Sunil Grover (Mashhoor Gulati), Chandan Prabhakar (Chandu) and Ali Asgar (Naani) quit the show following differences with Kapil. “I wish they return to the show. The bonding among team members was the strength of the show,” he added.
Raj is currently working for a comedy serial ‘Appu Ki Duniya’, that will be telecast on Big Magic channel very soon.
