I am excited about playing the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on TV: Krish Chauhan

Popular actor Krish Chauhan, whose portrayal of the young Khanderao Holkar in the TV show

Punyashlok Ahilyabai

won him a lot of fans, is all set to play the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the upcoming

Doordarshan

show Swaraj. Krish, who has been a part of TV shows like Karamphaldata Shani (as Hanuman), Mahakali–Anth Hi Aarambh Hai (as Vinayak), Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush (as Kush) and

Balika Vadhu 2

, is super excited about the role. He tells us, “It was always my dream to play the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and I am really excited. This is a weekly show that will focus on important historical figures in different episodes and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be watching the first few episodes. I mostly live in Mumbai now and come to Vadodara only for my exams (he is pursuing a diploma in Software Engineering). In Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is respected immensely and so, I believe that this role will make me more popular among my fans. After I did Punyashlok Ahilyabai, I got a lot of new fans from Indore and I always love playing historical characters. It gives me the opportunity to relive our glorious past.” Excerpts from a chat:


‘I prepare thoroughly for every character that I play’

As an actor, I believe in preparing thoroughly for every character. For this role, I will take inspiration from Mahesh Manjrekar (he played the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Marathi film Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy). Also, I have gone through a lot of childhood pictures of Chhatrapati Shivaji and this is a dream come true moment for me. The production house chose me after watching one of my previous audition videos and shooting for the show was a great experience.

‘I want to take up challenging roles, the genre doesn’t matter’

Currently, I am in talks for a couple of big Hindi TV shows and hopefully, at least one of those will work out soon. Be it mythological shows, fiction or historical shows, I have done different kinds of shows. I just want to take up challenging roles, the genre doesn’t matter. Doing Punyashlok Ahilyabai has been one of the turning points of my career because it gave me a lot of fame and recognition.


‘I am glad to see the Gujarati film industry doing so well’

When I signed my first Gujarati film (Back Bencher), there were people in Mumbai who told my parents that doing a Gujarati film was a bad decision and my career would go downhill from there. However, we didn’t listen to them and believed in the story. After that, I did a cameo in the film Luv Ni Love Storys and I cherished the experience of working in both the films. Today, I am glad to see the Gujarati film industry doing so well and if I get good roles, I would love to do more Gujarati films.


‘COVID has taught me to live for the moment’

Right now, shooting can be a little stressful because actors have to take off their masks during their scenes. However, it’s heartening to see that everyone on the sets is being extra cautious and following all safety measures. After all, the show must go on! While I am unable to visit my hometown Vadodara too often, I managed to celebrate Uttarayan there this year and it was a great feeling. The fact that my elder sister (actress Sneha Chauhan) lives with me in Mumbai is a big help. Although there are days when we don’t even meet because of our different shooting schedules, we guide each other while recording audition videos and we constantly learn from each other. While the pandemic has been extremely challenging, I have tried to spend as much time as possible with my family. COVID has taught me to live for the moment because as we have seen in the last two years, kal kuch bhi ho sakta hai!