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"Destiny is what you desire today"

He landed his first role on the small screen quite by accident, Television star Manav Gohil tells Madhur Tankha...

He wants to rule the hearts and minds of television viewers. And without doubt talented Manav Gohil has managed to achieve some measure of success on the small screen having essayed a wide array of roles besides hosting game shows.

In the Capital this past Thursday to promote "Vaidehi Ek Aur Agni Pareeksha" on Sony Entertainment Television, the young actor revealed that he landed a role on the small screen quite by accident. "After completing my B.Com, I started running a small consultancy firm at Vadodara and one day got my photograph published on the model watch page of "A&M'magazine. Then I decided to try my luck in Mumbai. As luck would have it I got an opportunity to host the show `Paheli Gali' on Channel V."

And soon enough he found himself acting in a couple of serials. "I feel there are certain things that cannot be taught. Like I have a flair for dancing. To polish my acting skills, I joined a theatre workshop with my friends. I am still learning.''

Stating that anchoring "Fame Gurukul" that synthesised India's guru-shishya tradition with a Spanish reality show on Sony T.V. was an emotionally traumatic experience, Manav says: "As a number of singers were getting eliminated in the show, I felt really disheartened. However, co-hosting the show with Mandira Bedi was an enjoyable experience. I soon got into the groove of anchoring. Even now some participants are in touch with me."

As for his journey on the small screen so far, the actor says: "I have done a variety of roles including that a sweet boy, a naughty man and a cop. However, the character closest to my heart has been the one in `Kahani Teri Meri'. To become successful on television one must have patience, perseverance and self-esteem. If you lack self-esteem then you cannot grow. Your destiny is what you desire today. When I felt that my roles in `Kasauti Zindagi Ki' and `Kkusum' were dragging on, I decided to quit."

Manav at present is shooting for a children's film made by Percept Pictures. The title of the film has still not been decided. Directed by a talented filmmaker from South -- who has directed superstars like Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna -- it is 50 per cent complete and Manav will shortly leave for Bangkok to shoot the rest of the film.

Admitting that he has not made an attempt to enter mainstream Bollywood cinema, Manav says after completing his ongoing serial he will try his luck in commercial Hindi films. "These days both television and films are doing exceptionally well. In fact, they are running shoulder-to-shoulder in some areas. It is not true that if you act in a soap opera you cannot be accepted in a Hindi film. I did a small part in `Sarkar' that starred Abhishekh Bachchan. I know I am not cut out to be a superstar like Salman Khan or Sanjay Dutt, but there are lots of opportunities in offbeat films like `Rang De Basanti' and other crossover films in which artists get to play character roles."

Manav also manages to find time to do theatre. "The play `Uncle Samjha Karo' was appreciated in Surat, Lucknow and even in the United States,'' he reveals.

On the ongoing serial, Manav says: "In `Vaidehi Ek Aur Agni Pareeksha' I am playing a happy-go-lucky guy who can turn lethal if anyone insults his adopted parents. If I were offered the lead role of an impotent man in the serial, I would have agreed to do it. Before accepting any role three things are important. First, the creative aspect or how the script has been written. The character should be profound and sensible. I know for sure I cannot accept the role of a gay man. Second, the positioning or how the project takes the character forward. Third, the money aspect. But if a dream project comes along on the big screen, I am even prepared to do it for free."

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