The actor’s wife Hitisha delivered a baby boy in Bengaluru, yesterday
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; September 15, 2020)

Actor Gaurav Chopraa and wife Hitisha Cheranda became proud parents of a baby boy, yesterday. Hitisha gave birth at a private nursing home in her hometown, Bengaluru. The past few months were very tough for Gaurav, after both his parents passed away due to Coronavirus within a span of just 10 days.

Talking to us, Gaurav said, “The last few months have been extremely tough for my family and me. But, becoming a father feels like divine intervention. Just when you have seen both your parents pass away, to see another life come to your home, makes you feel blessed. I have been in Bengaluru for the past few days. Both of them are doing well.”

He added, “My parents were excited about becoming grandparents. In fact, they had wanted me to be with my wife and take care of her , but I chose to be with them in Delhi. This experience has been a good life lesson — it has taught me how the cycle of life continues.”

The actor also shared how he was worried about having a baby during the pandemic. “It is a difficult time right now. And though I was delighted when Hitisha got pregnant, I was also scared at the way the pandemic was spreading. We were taking extreme precautions and since my parents fell sick, I couldn’t make this news public. My parents must be elated in heaven to see that I have become a father,” said an emotional Gaurav.

When asked if he has thought of any names for his son, he replied, “The last few months have been so tough that everything has just passed by in a blur. Now, I have time to think of a name and start my duties of being a father. I am just thankful to God that my baby is here.”

Gaurav Chopraa loses both his parents to Covid-19 within 10 days
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 4, 2020)

Recently, Gaurav Chopraa suffered a huge personal tragedy when he lost both his parents to Coronavirus within a span of just 10 days, after fighting it for one month. On August 19, his mother succumbed to the virus, 10 days later, his father, a retired government official, passed away. “My mother was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer three-and-a-half years ago. The doctors gave her just four-six months, but the brave lady, who’d been a school principal, defied all the odds and was singing, dancing, travelling and celebrating every festival. Cancer couldn’t beat her, the Coronavirus did,” the actor says brokenly.

Gaurav admits the cancer got worse post the lockdown because she was cooped up at home, unable to go out and meet family and friends. Even the TV was only flashing morbid news. “For the first time, I saw her undying spirit dented,” he recounts, adding that worried about her, his father also lost a lot of weight. “Before Covid-19 claimed them, the emotional denting hampered them,” he says, urging people to provide an emotional cushion to older people during these difficult times.

He is quick to add that even with almost zero immunity, his mother did not show any symptoms. Her antibody tests were great when she was hospitalised. It was his father, who had no prior health condition and was only there to tend to his mother, who had to be put on ventilator after two days. A big pneumonia patch was detected in his lungs and there were also traces of heart, liver and kidney damage. “This is what the virus does, but no one is talking about that,” he sighs, adding that with medicines going out of stock, people now have to buy them in black.

Even though Gaurav could not visit his parents in hospital due to the rules, his siblings and he were in constant touch with them through video calls. “My father was sedated, but I had read that even when a person is on the ventilator, they can hear you. So, we called him frequently, assuring him that everything was fine. I was on a video call with my father minutes before he passed away and was the last of my siblings to talk to my mother,” he says emotionally.

Gaurav believes it was fate that neither of them got to know about the other’s death. “My mother died while my father was on the ventilator. So, he didn’t hear the news. Their last conversations were about each other. For the last three-and-a-half years, my father was taking care of my mother and that’s how they left, together. My mother was doing fine till she learnt about dad. The day she stopped speaking to him, her condition deteriorated, day by day. My dad was on ventilator for 18 days and after she left, during the last couple of days, it was like he had willingly given up the fight,” his voice chokes up.

Gaurav had to go to the crematorium twice, which he says is full of people who died from the virus. Lashing out at those who flout the guidelines, he says, “People who say this is the new normal, need to get some perspective. We don’t even know if we’ll survive this pandemic. This virus can wipe out families and generations.”

His mother had a guru in Punjab, so he took her ashes there because that’s what she would have wanted, and his father’s ashes to Haridwar. Right now, Gaurav is by himself in Delhi, being a pillar of strength for his family, while his wife is in Bangalore. “I was always compared to my father. We shared the same sun sign, had the same physicality and voice. So, my instinct was to do what he would have in this situation. Normally, when one parent passes away, the other is there to guide you. But here, I had to take on that mantle,” he points out, admitting that it’s difficult living in his parent’s house without them. “I see their door and it feels like someone has stabbed me in the heart. Whenever I become a parent myself, I want to be like them. That’s the standard I have to match.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 26, 2020)

Over the past few days, speculations have been rife over which actor will replace Karan Singh Grover to play the new Mr Bajaj in Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2 (KZK), after it was reported that he isn’t returning to the show post the lockdown.

Several artistes, including Sharad Kelkar and Gaurav Chopraa, were approached for the part. However, we have now learnt that the production house’s search has ended with Karan Patel, who is popular for playing Mr Bhalla on the show, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein. Interestingly, he had played a small role — that of Karanvir Bohra’s (he had played Mr Bajaj’s son Prem) friend — in the original edition of KZK.

Karan shares, “Mr Bajaj is an iconic character, which has lived on in people’s minds for years. So, it’s a matter of honour to take it ahead from where Ronit Roy and Karan Singh Grover left, and add my nuances to it.”

Ask him if he is worried about being compared to the previous two actors and he replies, “I don’t fear comparisons, as that’s bound to happen. Fear creeps in only when you expect failures. In my case, I have always followed my instinct and focused on how well I can perform my role. As an artiste, I am spontaneous and that’s my forte. I will do the same with my new character.”

This is the first time Karan has replaced an actor on a show. He says, “I don’t have any preconceived notions about anything. I believe that all of us have our own journeys. No actor is bigger than the character and the show.”

As he gets ready to return to work, the actor is happy that he spent quality time with his six-month-old daughter, Mehr, during the Coronavirus lockdown. “This forced break was like a blessing in disguise for me, as I got to spend quality time with Mehr and my family. However, getting back to work is something I will happily welcome. I live for the cameras and love my work.”
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Character returns to help Prerna destroy the Basus; expect duo to fall in love, again
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 26, 2020)

Ekta Kapoor’s reboot of her 2001 show, Kasautii Zindagii Kay (KZK), which ran for seven years, started with a bang in 2018. But, since then, the show has been in the news more for its casting than its on-screen performance. The latest update is that Karan Singh Grover, who was brought in to play Mr Bajaj, has been replaced by his namesake, Karan Patel. The actor was last seen in another Ekta show, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, which wrapped up last December after a six-year run.

Last June, Grover stepped into the shoes of Ronit Roy, who had made the character a household name in the 2001 original. He was appreciated for his act, but inexplicably, just four months later, in October, the actor bade farewell to the show through an Instagram post. After endless speculations about his replacement, Grover put rumours to rest by informing Mirror (March 3) that he would return as Mr Bajaj and the audience would get to see a softer side to his character. “As long as Mr Bajaj is alive, Prerna will be, too. Before leaving, he had told her that he would return whenever she needs him. Now, he is back when she is in trouble. He obviously loves her,” he had pointed out, promising a new look.

However, back then, he had no clarity on when he would start shooting. Soon after, the pandemic brought all shoots to a halt and during the lockdown, Grover decided to quit the show for good. Subsequently, the makers approached several actors. The names that one heard included Sharad Kelkar, Gaurav Chopraa, Dino Morea and Milind Soman, among others. But it is Patel who finally bagged the part. Interestingly, just like Grover, Patel was also a part of the original KZK.

The actor is expected to join the shoot from Monday. Currently, the makers are working on his look, as they want him in a different avatar from Grover. In the upcoming track, the viewers will see Prerna planning her revenge against Anurag, who had intended to kill her. She will come up with a business scheme to destroy the Basus with the help of Bajaj. And like in the original, a new love story will begin again between Prerna and Bajaj.

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; August 12, 2014)