Kushal Tandon: My acting has been camouflaged by my looks

Returning to TV with Barsatein, Kushal Tandon on exploring roles that go beyond his romantic hero image

In 2018, Kushal Tandon stepped away from television to focus on digital entertainment. Almost six years and two web shows—Hum (2018) and Bebaakee (2020)—later, the actor is back on the small screen with Ektaa Kapoor’s latest outing, Barsatein-Mausam Pyaar Ka.

Tandon and Shivangi Joshi on set

Tandon claims that the role is tailor-made for him. “Ektaa told me that she was writing a show keeping me in mind. My character is about 40 percent like the real me. In fact, I feel there is too much of Kushal in Reyansh Lamba [his character]. He is non-conformist, distrusts women, has a wall around him, and has no filter. As the CEO of a news agency, he is fearless and doesn’t shy away from exposing scandals,” says the actor. He believes that television doesn’t have enough of male-centric stories, which makes Barsatein a rare offering. “Television shows [are usually] female-driven, but Barsatein is a male-oriented show; it’s good to take up something like this in a medium that is dominated by women.” Asked if he researched to play the part of a news agency head, Tandon says, “I did talk to some of my journalist friends, but the script was well-researched and so well-written that there was nothing left for me to research on.” He is certain that his chemistry with Shivangi Joshi will click with the audience in this new-age romantic drama. “I met Shivangi for the first time through this show. She is good, hardworking, and professional.”

Tandon, who has often played the boy-next-door roles, says that his true potential as an actor has never been explored. “I want to take up a show like Mirzapur that is raw and where I can utilise my Lucknowi dialect. I want to explore something that overpowers my looks. My acting has been camouflaged by my looks, but I won’t let that happen anymore,” shares the actor, who is dabbling in production and seeking interesting scripts.

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