After a successful run on reality television, winning Celebrity MasterChef India and Bigg Boss 19, Gaurav Khanna is returning to daily soaps with Dil Ki Bewafaiyaan. Having spent much of his career on television, the actor has no plans to distance himself from the medium that gave him his identity.

The subject of his new show and the chance to explore a different character drew him to the project. The show also marks Gaurav’s first collaboration with Ektaa Kapoor, whom he had hoped to work with for nearly two decades. Recalling his first visit to her office as a newcomer, Gaurav says, “I told her that 20 years ago, I had come to her office and handed my pictures to the guard, who told me, ‘Zaroorat hogi toh bula lenge.’ She replied, ‘Gaurav, you’re a superstar. You can come whenever you want.’”

He adds, “Dil Ki Bewafaiyaan is a different kind of love story, and viewers will see love in a new light. My character is realistic yet entertaining. It is not easy for a male actor on television to get such a nuanced and strong role, as the medium is largely considered female-oriented.”

His stint on Bigg Boss 19 also put his personality under public scrutiny, with some viewers questioning whether his ‘Mr Perfect’ image was genuine. Gaurav insists he was simply being himself. He says, “Some people initially thought I was acting for the camera. I used to laugh because they probably hadn’t come across someone like me. I am what you see. By now, most of them have realized that and many are my friends.”

Gaurav credits his upbringing in Kanpur and his parents for keeping him grounded. He says, “Wherever I am today, I am still that boy from Kanpur who came to Mumbai to make his dreams come true. When you start from zero, there is no disappointment. The moment you begin thinking you are above others, that becomes a problem.”

His celebrity status, he adds, has not changed his everyday habits. He says, “I still take rickshaws, go grocery shopping and bargain. You should never lose your sense of reality. I just want to entertain people. If I can reach their hearts and touch their emotions, that is a victory for an actor.”

Gaurav, who became a household name as Anuj Kapadia in Anupamaa, says, “I am a television actor, and everything I am today is because of this medium. Television can never be far from my heart. I am open to any medium that gives me a chance to perform something I believe in, but I don’t want to do run-of-the-mill stuff.”

Comparing the appeal of television and films, he says, “Television is like the IPL, while films are like one-day matches. Both have their own charm. TV enters people’s homes every day, and that gives me a different high. It is fast-paced, and you may shoot 10 scenes in a day. I love that hustle.”

Gaurav says acting was not a part of his plan when he moved to the city. He shares, “I never came to Mumbai thinking I would become an actor. I came here to study and never imagined that television would accept me so warmly. I have always kept my doors open. I don’t know which medium I will be working in five years from now, but I know I will be doing something.”