Rrahul Sudhir: ‘Television is restrictive for men’

After starting out with web shows Rrahul Sudhir forayed into television in 2019 with Rajaa Betaa following it up with Ishq Mein Marjawan 2 The latter was enough to make him a household name Given his characterrsquos popularity the actor reprised his role in another season of Ishq Mein Marjawan which streamed on OTT platforms Now Sudhir is back on the small screen as the leading man of Dabangii ndash Mulgi Aayi Re Aayi after its 14year leap In conversation with midday the actor talks about joining a show midway and his idea of true successEdited excerpts from the interviewWhen yoursquore entering a popular show midway do you feel the pressure to keep the momentum goingIt is a tricky place to be in Since everybody is already working there is no time to figure out from scratch what exactly to do So you have to figure that out as you are shooting But if you start worrying about it it hinders the processDid you watch Dabangiimdash Mulgi Aayi Re Aayi before joining the showI know the entire story but I watched the first few episodes to understand the showrsquos toneDid you get enough time to prep or was it a walk in the park having played similar characters beforeThere was no choice here I got hired and started shooting I am playing a rich businessman and although I have played such a role before that had a different shade altogether In Ishq Mein Marjawan I was a rich businessman with a lot of baggage and used an almost robotic voice This time I just jumped on boardWhy did you take up this role considering itrsquos not exactly challengingCanrsquot I repeat my characters Just kidding Things just happened quickly I was called for a mock test and didnrsquot realise I would get hired This is a different character he is not like Vansh Raisinghani from Ishq Mein Marjawan That was a thriller Here he is a regular ordinary businessmanWhile you were on a break did you try working in a different mediumThere are two aspects to it One is what is putting food on the table The other is what do you intend to do in life These two could be similar or drastically different As far as Irsquom concerned I want to be an actor and want to get better at this I shot for a feature film last year which is set to release in March After a long time I felt alive on a set The takes the treatmentmdashthe whole thing was so differentWhat is the film aboutItrsquos a drama where Irsquom playing a quadriplegic The film is adapted from one of Sadat Haasan Mantorsquos plays Irsquove never played a guy on a wheelchair or showcased their struggles and feelingsDidnrsquot you crave something more challenging on televisionTelevision doesnrsquot have that daayra scope TV is about how the hero and heroinersquos chemistry is great how good they look together and how many people watch them Normally television leads are intense or chirpy or a village boygirl There arenrsquot that many different characters on TV Itrsquos very restrictive for men I am notblaming anyone but this is what works on TV at the end of the dayWhat would be ideal for youmdashto play a role that puts food on the table or one that satisfies you creativelyThe balance between the two would be my ultimate goal in life Some day if I can take care of myself and my family and simultaneously be able to do what I intend to do in life Irsquoll consider myself successful