In a new avatar

“I like challenges”, says actor Rannvijay, now seen on the TV series “Pukaar.”

Bollywood actor Rannvijay Singh. Photo: V. V. Krishnan

He does not mind doing entertainers as long as he gets to fulfil a real life ambition of donning a khaki uniform or getting an adrenaline rush from the high voltage action scenes. Rannvijay Singh, now seen on the LifeOk series Pukaar The Call of the Hero as a man in uniform, is indeed following that dream on small screen. Son of an Army man, Rannvijay says he was selected for the Indian Army but opted instead for a reality show ( MTV Roadies ) because it offered the winner a jazzy bike!

In New Delhi for “Live the Zen Life with Rannvijay” campaign, the actor, seen in films like London Dreams and Action Replayy, says though he sends out strong social messages in Pukaar, when it comes to films, he doesn’t mind signing up for commercial flicks rather than waiting to be a part of socially relevant movies.

“For me, hard work in terms of going out of the way to suit the on-screen character is more important than anything else.

Mehnat karni chahiye . I like challenges; the beauty of challenges is to see how I complete them,” he says. On why socially relevant films are not in his scheme of things, Rannvijay’s argument is clear: a film is made to entertain people, make them happy and cheerful when they leave cinema halls. “This is the reason why films are made. My next film

Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene has no message and I have no complaints. Look at superstar Aamir Khan, known for making sensitive films like

Taare Zameen Par . But even he does at times out and out commercial films like

Dhoom 3 . Aamir specialises in either making or being part of socially meaningful films but at the end of the day he is an actor working in the business of entertainment.”

Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene seems like a typical Bollywood film but Rannvijay tries to highlight the relevance of the storyline. He says since the characters in the film have been pushed to the wall, they need to make money by hook or crook. “There is a particular scene in the film where one of the characters says, ‘ zindagi mein aur T-20 cricket mein run banana zaroori hain.’ The film has two characters. Unlike his previous films, Zayed Khan is playing a simpleton. He is not playing his usual cool, hip guy but a straightforward man. Zayed’s get-up has been changed and he wears spectacles.”

On why he chose to be a part of Pukaar , Rannvijay says, “I agreed to come on board Pukaar Call for The Hero because Vipul Shah, the director of the series, is also the filmmaker who made me do Action Replayy , a fabulous multi-starrer, in which I got an opportunity to play a street smart character who manages to outsmart Akshay Kumar’s character and I also got to dance with the gorgeous looking Aishwarya Rai. I am hugely indebted to Vipul-ji for giving me the opportunity to work with these two gifted actors. Apart from the comfort factor I share with him, I was also inspired by the fact that the serial conveys an important message to society.”

The garrulous actor chooses to keep his lips sealed when asked to elaborate on the messages he would be communicating to the audience in the forthcoming episodes.

(The series “Pukaar Call for The Hero” is aired on LifeOk on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8.30 p.m.)