Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 31, 2021)

After television and movies, Karan Singh Grover took a plunge into the digital world with the web show, Qubool Hai 2.0 recently. It re-introduced him as Asad Ahmed Khan, the popular character from the television series by the same name. While talking to BT about his successful transition across mediums as an actor, Karan also opened up about his new venture and his passion for art. Excerpts...

Your latest outing, Qubool Hai 2.0 introduced you in an action avatar. Was this change of image a conscious decision by you?
There are many dimensions to me that people are not aware of. I am just happy that with Qubool Hai 2.0, I could showcase an aspect of myself. Besides, the character that I play in this web show is quite different from what I did on the TV show. I have done action and comedy before, but it wasn’t put out there so prominently like they did in this show, which could be the reason why my performance stood out even more.

Another talking point of the show is your chemistry with co-star Surbhi Jyoti, who was also part of the television show. Was it easy to recreate that magic all over again?
I worked a lot on the character of Asad Ahmed Khan and his nuances during the inception of the show in 2012, so much so that character stayed with me through the years. It’s not a healthy thing to keep a character within you for so long, but this is a phenomenon that can be expected with television projects that are shot for a long period of time. So, as soon as Qubool Hai 2.0 came up, Asad was there at the snap of a finger. Since he is shown to be a sharpshooter on the show, I trained for a few days at a shooting range in Mumbai. Interestingly, I was quite good at it and that surprised my coaches. The game of shooting is much in sync with your breathing.

As far as the chemistry between me and Surbhi is concerned, even though our characters, Asad and Zoya, are meeting and falling in love for the first time on the web show, they already have a strong base that was created when we worked together for the first time on TV. You can’t really portray this chemistry, unless you’ve spent time prepping for a character before.

Apart from acting, you are also getting noticed as an artist. The artworks that you post on social media and your website are going viral. Where does this love for painting come from?
The artist was always there within me, but I never explored it. I never took it seriously as I was bad at art when I was in school. When teachers asked me to draw a scenery, I would draw it the way I felt it. Nobody cared about my perspective and would advise me to draw mountains and trees. It is only when Bipasha encouraged me that I took up art seriously. She came across one of my drawings and asked me to explain it. She was surprised when I told her it’s called ‘Dreaming Birth’ as it depicts the soul having already gained its highest potential before entering a womb. She asked me to do more of such work. All of this happened on December 31 in 2015. I remember the day well because that’s the day I proposed to her and asked her to marry me. It was her enthusiasm that motivated me to do my first series called ‘Ascension’. There has been no looking back since. I am not an Arts student, but the more I dabbled in painting, the more I understood it better.

What’s the kind of response you get for your artwork from art lovers and the industry?
The response has been great. I’ve had people comparing my pieces of art with some renowned works of celebrated artists that I can’t name (smiles!). My art is an extension of my personality. I have also been signed on for Aparajita Jain’s online gallery of new contemporary artists from South Asia. A physical exhibition will happen by the end of this year and I am really looking forward to it.