Barun Sobti, who became a household name with the show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?, is now enjoying being a part of the OTT space. Talking about the response to his two digital stints, Asur 2 and Kohrra, he says, “It fills me up with joy. Of course, it doesn’t change me as a person. I never waited for any validation. My process of picking up projects still hasn’t changed. Fame is a tricky thing. I deal with it by being in denial. I’m fine without fame. It has never bothered or changed me at all.”

At the age of 17, Barun started working in a telecom company, while secretly hoping to be an actor. He got the opportunity when his school friend Karan Wahi backed out of a TV show. “Karan was offered a show (Shraddha) and he asked for a certain amount. The makers didn’t have the budget, so they asked for a cheaper version of him. He recommended my name. I sent my pictures, and everything worked out,” Barun recalls.

Barun says he didn’t have to face a lot of struggle at the beginning of his career. “I didn’t even give a lot of auditions. The last show that I auditioned for was IPKKND. I didn’t even want to do the show, as I wanted to move to Australia with my wife,” he reminisces. Eventually, the show’s overnight success led to Barun dropping the idea of moving to another country. He adds, “I started making money and we realised that we could have a good life here.”

When Barun started his career, he was panned for his acting and was only called a good-looking guy. “I was not a good actor; I would not blame the people who were saying that,” he admits. With his recent performances, life has come full circle. “Looks are something you are gifted with. However, skill set is what can take credit for,” he says.

Interestingly, not many know that Barun has a no-kissing policy, courtesy of his sweet promise to his wife, Pashmeen Manchanda when they were 15. “The first time I told her that I wanted to be an actor, she jokingly said, ‘Now you will kiss every girl’. That’s when I decided I would not kiss on screen. To date, she tells me how stupid I am! There’s no clause as such, and I am not averse to it. If it makes sense and is essential, I will think about it,” he ends.

You won’t see too much of Barun Sobti on screen, and he likes it that way. After he shot to fame with his television show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, the actor didn’t go on a signing spree, instead choosing his projects carefully. He is playing by his own rules in digital entertainment too. Sobti reprised his role of Nikhil Nair in the second season of Jio Cinema’s Asur. In conversation with mid-day, he talks about being off the radar, the mythology thriller’s popularity, and his belief in karma.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

Not really. People took notice of me and said, ‘You can act’. But it wasn’t as if I got any phenomenal roles after that. That could also be because I am spoilt for choice, and only pick up roles that I want to do. The only show that I would credit for putting me on the map is Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. [After Asur], I was in the audience’s mind, but I was not offered mind-blowing roles. At the same time, itna mind-blowing kaam hota bhi nahin hai apne desh mein [laughs]. I am happy with how my career has shaped up, but I don’t know if it has happened because of Asur.

My wife and I watched it in two days straight. It’s so far ahead of the first season. I’d be lying if I said I was not looking at myself critically. If I see a series where I am good and everything else is bad, I will call [it out]. Conversely, if I were to see a show where I have not been good, but everybody else is phenomenal, I’d call that out too. With respect to Asur 2, everything was excellent.

She is an influential person in my life. When she backs what I am thinking, it solidifies my [stance]. She instantly liked [the show] too.

I read the whole script, then I prepare myself according to how I am placed in a [particular scene], and determine my road map. My character Nikhil Nair starts the second season with a lot of guilt. He is also the kind who doesn’t indulge much in vanity. He is focused on saving the world. That is why he sacrifices his daughter [in the previous season]. The show is about a national crisis more than how a family is affected by the [death of a child]. The bathtub sequence was consuming. I have a daughter, so [it helped me understand the nuances of the scene].

Gaurav Shukla is a phenomenal writer. The scale in the first season was much lower; the genius of the writing was that it could accommodate the [low] budget. In the second season, the show became quite big and could go anywhere. So, one could make a lot of mistakes too. Gaurav upgraded [the show] to [tackle] a bigger problem, instead of writing himself into a corner. I am not a big fan of [mythology], but it’s remarkable how Gaurav aligned it all together. Everyone is saying that Asur has done great, but I feel it is underrated.

I believe in time. I was taught in childhood, ‘Neki kar, dariya mein daal.’ That’s where I stand. I think people who believe in karma are the ones who are waiting for good things to happen to them because they did good.

I have three shows coming back-to-back — a romantic comedy called Badtameez Dil on Amazon miniTV, a crime thriller called Kohrra on Netflix, and a coming-of-drama Bawandar.