Manit Joura is an Indian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Garv Shinde in Star Plus’ Mujhse Kuchh Kehti...Yeh Khamoshiyaan, Rishabh Luthra in Zee TV’s Kundali Bhagya and Harsh Shastri in Dangal TV’s Prem Bandhan. He spoke to Bollywood Hungama to discuss his work and talk about Kundali Bhagya completing 4 years and 1000 episodes.
Speaking about Kundali Bhagya completing 4 years and 1000 episodes, an elated Manit Joura says, “It feels absolutely great! It feels like I am back home. I’ve said it multiple times that Kundali Bhagya isn’t a show to me, it’s my home. It has given me everything I have, so coming back makes you feel complete. It is a very holistic feeling. I am really connected with the actors, Balaji, Ekta (Kapoor) ma’am.”
“The show taught me how to work as a team because as actors we do get selfish. We want everything to be perfect and work to give us the best perspective. But with Kundali Bhagya, it has taught me to work in a team and shed all my insecurities. I never had any, to be honest because I come from a film background. It is different and it’s not all about your scenes. I became very secure as an actor and I started looking at everything from the team’s perspective. As an actor, you need to do your bit with just emoting and expressing even if you don’t have a dialogue,” he adds.
Joura expresses his gratitude towards the show. “Nawazuddin Siddiqui once said a very beautiful thing, ‘Earlier, when I didn’t have a lot of scenes to do but people took notice of me because I just stood there and I was alive in the situation.’ Aamir Khan sir said the same thing as well. Fortunately, we’re blessed with a great show and we’re given good screen time and great scenes to present ourselves as actors. I am in a very happy space. Now, my approach is the entire team should look good and the scene will come out beautifully,” he says.
He fondly talks about the show and his love for his craft. Juggling shows and work, he talks about investing all his time in work, “Television can be extremely demanding and you don’t get time for yourself. I have sacrificed a lot of my personal time. I skipped my brother’s wedding. My parents tested positive and I couldn’t go meet them. Honestly, I didn’t manage anything- the production handled it seamlessly but it was extremely sweet of them to accept that their actor is going and acting for another show. It is extremely difficult for a channel to share their actor with another channel. And the production did it really well. I started my career in 2009 and this is my third show and all good things are coming and you have to work with it.”
Talking about taking time off from Kundali Bhagya to do other things and starring in Prem Bandhan, he adds, “I didn’t take a personal break. I took a break to do something else. I very strongly believe that it’s extremely important to take risks. If you don’t take risks, you won’t grow. You’ll win, you’ll lose and nothing comes with assuring in life but it is like that. We are young right now, we can take risks. We’re living in an era wherein if we don’t take a risk now, when will we? As an actor, I have learnt so many things, if I get an opportunity where I can showcase my craft, I will grab it. My choices usually aren’t driven by my money or fame. My choices fundamentally depend on my happiness and progress in life. More often than not, when you are doing work and your heart is happy, it all works out. Several times, it happens- when I was doing Prem Bandhan, I was doing a schizophrenic character and it demanded a lot emotionally but at the end of the day, I’d feel hollow and empty but I’d look forward to the next day. And that is a beautiful feeling. I can’t put it in words but when you are in the moment, you feel it and everyone around you is happy- your team, the production, the channel! It’s a wonderful feeling.”
Being honest to your work is the key, believes Manit. “Usually, when you're honest towards your work and craft it shows! You don’t need to go and tell people, it shows and your work will speak for itself. I always believe that you should let your work do the talking. I mean who am I when we’re living in a generation with actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Salman Khan and so many good actors. Their body of work is brilliant and when they don’t talk about themselves, who are we to do it? Sooner or later, your work will shine through,” he adds.
Talking about working for Ekta Kapoor, he fondly expresses, “When I went in for the audition, I didn’t have any idea because I was doing a show with Nagesh Sir. We were working together. And when I got a call, I refused because I told them I don’t want to do a parallel lead. But I went in after some persuasion and I went in sneakers and shorts for the meeting. It felt great and I said yes! Even when I went in for Kundali, it wasn’t about the money because I wasn’t getting paid a lot. It was never money driven decision. The synergy of the show is such that it all synced. And Zee TV and Ekta Kapoor it’s the perfect combination. And I knew that if I want to do TV, I want to do it with Ekta Kapoor. This was always my wish! The funny part is that when people started watching the show and everyone was like, ‘You’re working with Ekta Kapoor, now you’ve made it!’ Working with Ekta Kapoor basically proves you’re successful (laughs). And she is so hardworking and she is just great!”
Shooting during the pandemic has been a different ball game altogether. Discussing the same, Manit says, “It got difficult. I am very close to my mother. And I couldn’t go see her but I accepted the fact that even if I go there I can’t do much. So, I was constantly on call with my brothers and sisters and family. My house was on fire, to put it that way. I am working in a situation like that was extremely difficult. And to go through that and shoot through it, I am very attached to my family but the team and production was very understanding and they gave me the liberty to visit my family if I wanted. But with television, telecast is everything and you don’t want to mess with it. And your professional ethics come into the picture and you have to make it work. I was crying, I was shattered but I wanted to make sure and manage both things. Fortunately, God has been kind and I somehow managed it well. I kept a check on my family and video called them and I was in touch with the doctors. A
little taxing but it’s over now. And honestly, I’ve done nothing great, I love my work and I am what I am because of the work I have and I have done. I don’t know how to do things every other way. And I made the choice and we are who we are because of our choices and I am very happy with the choices I have made!”
He clearly loves what he does. He expresses his love for the show saying, “As I said, we’re just actors! And I am just looking forward to giving my best and performing. I don’t want to change anything or tweak anything. I want people to love my work and I want to give my best day in and day out. I just want to enjoy doing what I do every day!”
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