You can’t be too picky on television: Sandeep

Sandeep Baswana, who played the role of Sahil Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, says he will always remain grateful to Ekta Kapoor. He shares, “When I came to Mumbai, I had no background in acting and I was sceptical about doing TV. Earlier, TV actors were not celebrated in a huge way. But Ekta Kapoor convinced me to take up Kyunki.. and I owe my career to her.”
In a chat, he talks about writing and directing films, sticking to television for over two decades and more.

‘TV actors use the word fan very loosely’
Sandeep says that sometimes, it takes just a role or a script to become famous, “Television is a writer’s medium. Television actors use the word ‘fan’ very loosely. Actually, they’re not our fans, they’re fans of the character created by the writer. Sometimes, the actors are not even good enough, but good writing makes them famous. Viewers love what the character is doing, not how that character is being portrayed. The actor is just showing up for the job.”

Sandeep played a father to Pulkit Samrat in Kyunki... when he was 25. Was he apprehensive about playing a father at such a young age? “I played father to people who were my age. I am happy to see my onscreen sons doing so well in life (laughs). It’s important to pay your bills and Mumbai is very expensive. Now, there’s not as much work on television, but you want to play a central character that’s not overshadowed by other characters. I don’t mind playing a grandfather if the role is good. The motivation to work on television is money. I don’t think I can be picky, otherwise I’ll just be sitting at home,” he says.

‘Television can be very draining sometimes’
The actor has also written and directed a film- Haryana. He says, “Frustration with the scripts got me into direction. When you are doing television, sometimes you get frustrated. It was received well in North India, but because I didn’t have big stars, the film was not commercially viable. When you write, direct, and produce something, the whole credit is yours and so is the blame. This is very different from being just an actor.”

Over the years, the actor has reinvented himself to stay relevant. “It’s tough to be relevant because sometimes, television series can be very draining. You have portrayed the same emotion again and again. So, in every scene, I try to do something new,” he says.

It’s been 20 years since Sandeep got into TV. Is he open to exploring other mediums? He says, “I am 47 years old, so I can’t give three or four years to a new medium or profession. If I ever have to change, I will rather teach people how to meditate and how to be in the moment. It pays the same amount of money that you’re getting on TV and requires 20-25 days of your time.”