Gautam Rode, star of Aksar 2, won’t kiss or get intimate with leading lady, Zareen Khan
Subhash K Jha (DNA; September 3, 2016)

Television heartthrob Gautam Rode, who became a household name with Saraswatichandra, has made it very clear to his producers and director — he is making his debut as a leading man in Aanant Mahadevan’s Aksar 2 — that he won’t do any intimate scenes in his debut as a leading man.

Says Gautam, “I am not comfortable with erotica on screen. Fortunately, my film Aksar 2 doesn’t have intimate scenes with the leading lady.” Hard to believe, considering his leading lady Zareen Khan scorched up the screen with Sharman Joshi in her last film.

He adds, “There are no intimate scenes between us as it’s not an erotic film. It’s suspense in its purest form. We still have to shoot the songs. But one of the songs will be sensuous, though not erotic. That, too, I will do also because it’s the situation in the film. All of us, including the producers and the director, are very clear about avoiding erotic scenes.”

Gautam is grateful to television. “Mahakumbh and Karn helped me to grow as an actor. Television has given cinema a lot of talent. I like Ronit Roy’s work and career graph. Television has definitely given actors like us a chance to grow and learn the craft. I owe it all to television.”

About the poor quality of television serials in India as compared with their Pakistani counterparts, Gautam says, “Pakistani television series are finite in duration, so that’s why the interest is there. We are also trying to make finite series now. Which is a good thing.”

Gautam is seeing someone, but doesn’t want to talk about her, “For me, till the time it’s confirmed that I am getting married to that person, I don’t want to go public about her.”

Gautam Rode shares his thoughts about the city that changed his life
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; August 9, 2016)


First impression
"I came to Mumbai for the first time in 1999 after my graduation from Delhi. At that time I had no plans of getting into acting. My dad was a stockbroker and I intended to join him after completing my modelling assignment in Mumbai. However, when I went back to Delhi, my father had lost the ticket to stockbroking and there was nothing much to fall back on. I decided to do CS and Law, but soon realised it wasn’t my cup of tea and came back to Mumbai to pursue my career as a model"

Struggle for survival
"However, I couldn’t survive in Mumbai through modelling, because you get three commercials in one month and are jobless for three months. Somebody suggested that since I have faced the camera, I should get into acting. But I remember I had gone to Churchgate in the evening for some modelling work, and when I got down at the station, I was swamped by the crowd. I could only see a lot of heads! I was so taken aback that I went and stood against the wall. I thought to myself I cannot handle this. In Delhi, I was used to a calm, peaceful environment and so I wanted to go back. I asked some people in Delhi if there was any scope for me in acting career there? They all told me Mumbai was the place. Since I was already here, I had to do something. I had got a cheque of Rs 55,000 from a campaign that I had done. That helped me rent a place in Versova"

The city that never sleeps
"I felt everyone here is always running around. Even after 11-11.30 in the night you will find rickshaws and cars on the road with people playing loud music. In Delhi everything shuts down after 10-10.30 pm and you don’t see many people on the road. Here, life is fast paced. Slowly, I got into the groove of the city and started feeling this is the best place for a workaholic like me. I remembered a film — I think it was Angaarey — that I had seen in childhood. It starred Jackie Shroff and Nana Patekar and there was this line about Mumbai, ‘the city never sleeps’ in the film. At that time, I thought how is that possible, but after coming here I could relate to that. I also found that Mumbai gives you a lot of opportunities to grow. It opens doors for you and can take you places, especially for people like us who are in the creative field. The growth level is quite fast compared to other cities. For a person who had come here with just Rs 4,000 in my pocket to achieve so much without any backing is something that is possible in this city. You should have the will, ambition, confidence and focus and your life changes here. When I came I did music videos, films and serials, but the turning point was Saraswatichandra and since then there’s no looking back. Mumbai is a life-changing city for me. It made me what I am!"

It could be better...
"The only thing I hate about the city is the traffic. I don’t move out of the house unless I have to. The other day it took me two hours to drive from Yaari Road to Kandivali, where I stay. I remember during the July 2005 torrential rains, I had to attend the Ba, Bahoo Aur Baby press conference. J D Majethia (producer) had told me I have to be there but when I took my car out, and saw the roads were flooded I reversed and went home. My mother made hot pakoras and I relished them"

Favourite places
"I am not a party person and am averse to crowds. I like to be with my set of friends and go to a hotel where there are a few people. But that is possible only if you do a private booking. I love to go to the Pan Asian restaurant in Grand Maratha and the Italian joint in Westin. When I want to unwind I go to Marine Drive or Worli Seaface with a friend after 1 am because then not many people are around. It’s also safe, which is a good thing. In fact, it is safer than other cities"