Delhi boy Barun Sobti comes back to park, paranthe and school memories

Despite having a huge fan following from his popular TV show '

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon

', Delhi boy Barun Sobti decided to take a break from the small screen five years ago. After doing a few films and a web series, the actor will be making a comeback on TV with a sequel to 'Iss Pyaar'... The actor says that he needed a break after "years of long, exhaustive schedule of daily soaps" and he thought of making a comeback at a time when there are a number of finite series on television.

"I am not good with planning my career, so I don’t think much before choosing anything. When I was doing television, I was working for four-five years and had long, exhaustive schedules. When I got married, I wanted to quit the show to travel and spend time with my wife," says Barun.

In last five years, he says, TV has witnessed a change and some makers are taking a risk by introducing new concepts to the audience.

With finite series, we'll hopefully have better content on TVBarun says that an increase in the number of finite series on the small screen highlights how makers are trying to understand the audience’s changing tastes and preferences. "TV is a huge market and involves a lot of money. One needs courage to take risk and introduce a new concept. While some makers prefer the tried-and-tested, there are a few who are courageous enough to limit the number of episodes and come up with a finite series. This is the first step towards change in television. I have always said that it might not be difficult for an actor or a director to do something new every day, but it is a task for the writers to create something new for the same characters for years. When you limit the duration of the show, you change the setting and scenario and look for fresh subjects. So I feel this change will finally lead to some fresh content on television," says Barun.

Barun says that he misses the content that he grew up watching on television. "That was the time when we didn’t have much of American television. I have a clear memory of watching 'Hum Paanch'. I also enjoyed watching shows like 'Saanp Seedi', 'Grihalakshmi Ka Jinn' and Pakistani show 'Dhoop Kinare'," he reminisces.

Barun Sobti explored the

Lodhi Art District

on his recent visit to Delhi (BCCL/ Ranjit Kumar)

There was a park near my home in west Delhi where I would go to play oftenThe actor, who was born and brought up in Delhi, says that when he was a kid, playing outdoors was always given a preference over watching TV, even during peak summers in Delhi. "I was a very active kid and used to play a lot. I lived in a colony in West Delhi which had a huge park and that park was a major hero of my growing-up years in Delhi as I used to play there a lot," says Barun.

Barun went to St Mark’s Sr Secondary Public School in Paschim Vihar and says that he loved going to school. The other reason his school life will always remain special to him is because he met his wife, Pashmeen Manchanda, in school. "We've been friends since we were in class IX. My school life was awesome and I always looked forward to going to school," says Barun.

Delhiites have become aware when it comes to drunken drivingBarun has also worked at a call centre in Delhi and he still knows the best places to eat at late night in Delhi. "There was a paranthe wala in CP, which used to stay open till late and then there were some 24x7 eateries in Gurgaon which I frequented with my friends. Now I see a lot of change in Delhi's nightlife. The biggest change and the most awesome thing that has happened over the years is that people are now aware and even authorities are strict about the enforcement of laws against drunken driving. Now when I party with my friends, most of them either come in a cab or get a driver along. I think this awareness is a big change," Barun says.