Rahil Azam: May do reality shows when they start reflecting reality

To most Rahil Azam is synonymous with Hatim 2003 the fantasy drama that made him a household name Fame however is not the actorrsquos goal Two decades and several shows later Azam says that he continues to be driven by the same element that influenced his first offering mdash his pursuit for creative satisfaction In a conversation with midday he talks about his new project Aashao Ka Saverahellip Dheere Dheere Se and why he steers clear of reality showsEdited excerpts from the interviewDo you believe yoursquove achieved star status in the television industryI feel people donrsquot know me by my name but that doesnrsquot hurt my ego The moment I walk in people call me Hatim his character in the eponymous show Even today I am recognised by that show Before reality shows became popular no actor was known by their name it was always their characters that became wellknown I have never done a reality show and donrsquot plan on doing one in the future When reality shows actually start reflecting reality I may do them laughsWhat convinces you to come on board a showWhenever I pick up a show the character matters the most As long as the role is meaty I will have the opportunity to grow as an actor that is what I seek in all my projects The number of shows I have done is much lower than that of many daily soap actors I have taken a gap of one or two years between every show In the initial stages of my career I did multiple shows but I donrsquot do that anymoreHow did you envision your lawyer character in Dheere Dheere SeUsually I get into the intrinsic details of my characters but in this show I didnrsquot ask about my part While reading the screenplay I felt that my character Raghav Srivastav is similar to me mdash I identify with his respect for elders and dark sense of humour I believe comedy is my strong suit However the kind of comedy I do will take a long time to make it to TV For this show the first thing that attracted me was that the shoot was in Mumbai I believe that the shows that have made a mark have all been shot within four walls The set doesnrsquot act as a catalyst for a showrsquos rating the script is always the hero Secondly I wanted to break the ice with Swastik Productions They have been approaching me for yearsAlso ReadMonday Motivation How Hina Khan got back in actionTelevision may not be ready for dark comedy but digital entertainment is Why havenrsquot you explored OTT after making your debut with Game Of KarmaI did get multiple offers but I turned them down because I was waiting for the right opportunity The web show I did was an episodicHow would you critique your performance in Dheere Dheere SeWhen I see the show I only see my performance I believe it is going exactly how I visualised it and I hope to get better at it As for the sense of humour of my character I can improvise if I have the opportunity to do itWhat do you think of the exaggerated portrayal of romance on the small screenThere have been shows that portray mature romance I find those more appealing You donrsquot need to even put your hand on someonersquos shoulder to convey romance it is in the eyes I relate to the love depicted in the blackandwhite films There is no need for gimmicks that are shown today So much can be conveyed through silence and holding of hands For me that is romance