“Whenever I finish a TV show, I take a sabbatical so that I can pursue other things like Marathi theatre and films. But when you are doing a daily soap, it gets very difficult to manage things. I try my level best to strike a balance between all these three mediums,” says actor Sumeet Raghvan, who is all set to return to doing a TV show after a gap of four years.

After being cooped up at home for close to 4-5 months, when I stepped out in July for my first assignment — an ad shoot, I was very nervous and skeptical. But slowly as I started doing more ads, I became more confident and it helped me to settle down in the new normal. Honestly, you can’t just sit at home, one day you will have to step out and get back to work taking all precautions.

Apart from acting, music has always been an integral part of my life and our house. So, the lockdown was a good time to get back to it. I learnt playing the guitar and practised on my harmonium often. But the most exciting part of all is learning a new language from scratch. My dad’s a Tamilian and my mom’s a Kannadiga, who can speak fluent Tamil and so can my brother. However, it was just me who couldn’t. I have been wanting to learn Tamil for a very long time, but somehow it never happened. I think unless that self-realisation doesn’t push you, you won’t be inspired to do anything. The lockdown gave me the much-needed push to learn Tamil.

Honestly, I don’t look back. I’m happy with the work I’m getting now. Twenty years back, I was in that phase where I wanted to do certain kind of work but as I’m nearing 50 (next year), I’m getting interesting and challenging roles which are keeping me on my toes and pushing me out of my comfort zone. Over the years, the audience has remembered me by the roles that I’ve portrayed on screen and that’s the best thing an actor can ever hope for. I can’t ask for more.