Gaurav Chopra: Rogue by choice

The actor, who is currently a part of MX Player's 'Hello Mini', on his journey so far, working with Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Blood Diamond' and more

Gaurav Chopra

Suave and intense are some of the adjectives that are used for Gaurav Chopra who shot to fame with “Uttaran” where he was loved as a rule breaker. He is currently playing a rogue industrialist in MX Player’s “Hello Mini”. Based on “Marry Me Stranger” by Novoneel Chakraborty, the show is a psychological thriller and has Anuja Joshi in the lead role.

Excerpts:

Tell us about your character in the show “Hello Mini”

I am playing the character of a self-made industrialist named Aditya Grover. For him, everything is about power. He has his own set of rules which he follows honestly. He is clear about his choices and is ready to fight to get what he wants. He comes into the story in such moments that require an extra dose of suspense and drama. The character is not part of the book ‘Marry Me, Stranger’.

How do you see your journey so far?

When I first started, I was associated with English bands and was all into music. Acting happened much later when I joined the theatre. I still remember my role in “Uttaran” where I played Raghuvendra Rathore, the rogue, bold rule-breaker, loosely based on the character of Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind”. People still remember me for that. I have had my share of failures in the career spanning more than 20 years but it is part of every actor's life. I am happy that people receive me with the same zeal as they used to receive earlier. My stint with reality television brought me closer to my audience. Recently, I took a long break for the theatrical adaptation of “Devdas” where I played the lead.

You also hosted “Savdhaan India” for a while. Some feel such encourage fetish for crime, what is your take?

There is a very thin line here. Shows like that are planned to make make the regular people aware of what is happening in the world around them but there is a possibility of getting sadistic pleasure out of those stories. I am not a creator of the show so I cannot comment much on what goes behind making such shows but I am very sure that it may happen as a coin has both sides, the good and the bad. It is upon us to decide what works for us.

Having worked in television for so long, do you see any change in consumption patterns?

In the last couple of years, the programming has gone really low in content, which is a sad thing. Today, television is competing with the OTT platforms and the producers have to bring quality content to retain the audience.

You acted with Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond”. How do you remember that experience?

I was not expecting such an opportunity and it came by sheer coincidence. I was in Africa for a theatre engagement and when I was performing, the casting director was in the audience. He spotted me and gave me the opportunity. I got the same kind of treatment that Leo was receiving and we both used to chat between the shots. It was humbling to know that Hollywood operates in a very professional manner and artists are given respect because of their body of work, not because of their popularity or stardom.