Kushal Tandon is back on television after a break of six years with Barsaatein - Mausam Pyaar Ka. Talking about the gap, he says, “Apart from being occupied with shooting for two web series, I was busy setting up my restaurant, which I had to shut down as it ran into losses during the pandemic. Itna loss ho gaya toh socha TV par wapas aa kar thode paise kama loon (laughs!) I also suffered a back injury last year, following which I was on sixmonth bed rest. I trained in martial art, and jujutsu in Thailand to get back into shape before the show went on floors. I am excited to return with a male-driven show on a medium predominantly for women.”

The last two years have also been spent in introspection and becoming a better human and artiste. The bad-boy image has stuck with the actor for many years now. Kushal says, “There is this rumour about me having an attitude problem, being difficult to handle, coming late on sets, and cancelling shoots. Yes, I did cancel shoots and reported late on set, and I am not proud of it. I may have lost out on projects because of this perception. I am planning to dabble in production, and being a producer, I wouldn’t want to suffer losses because of an actor coming late to the shoot.”

He adds, “However, I am not the same person anymore, and people shouldn’t be scared of working with me. I have matured and become responsible. I want to be known as reliable and professional. The main reason for taking up Barsaatein is to rectify all the wrongs I have done to Ekta Kapoor while shooting for her web series. I am extremely serious about my work. I have showcased just 20 per cent of my potential and aspire to push the envelope beyond 100 per cent.”

Mostly known for playing suave and flamboyant characters on screen, Kushal wants to try different characters. He shares, “I want to play rugged characters. I hope to play a role where my acting overshadows everything else, including my looks. I want to play different characters and prove my versatility.”