‘I’m not going to do serials as films give you a better platform’ Naman Jain in Lucknow

'Chillar Party' fame actor Naman Jain was in the city on a professional trip, recently. Having visited Lucknow several times earlier, the 'Swami Ramdev: Ek Sangharsh' actor says he hasn’t been able to explore the city as much as he would like to. “I have heard so much about Lucknow, it is one of the most popular cities of India. I want to explore the city more and I’m hoping the next time I come here, I get to stay here for a longer time,” says Naman.
A student of class 12th in Mumbai, Naman is waiting for the result which is to be declared later this month.“The Higher Secondary Certificate results are coming at the end of this month and I don’t know how it is going to turn out. I haven’t expected anything so I’m feeling both confused and excited, simultaneously. In fact, I’m not very excited because you know har student excited nahi hota regarding his results (laughs). The examination went well and I’m just hoping for the best. There wasn’t any pressure boards ko lekar because my tuition teacher taught me well and it wasn’t as tough as I expected,” says Naman who intends to pursue a degree in Mass Communication.
Naman Jain (inset encircled), in Chillar Party for which he won the National Award for Best Child Actor (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)
After working in movies like 'Jai Ho', 'Raanjhanaa' and 'Bombay Talkies' as a child actor, Jain is clear about not doing TV serials, “Since 'Chillar Party', my parents and I were quite clear that I am not going to do serials because I think films give you a bigger platform as well as it can showcase your talent very well. You have a much larger audience who watch films compared to television. In fact, serials aren’t watched as much as films because of the entertainment factor. I thought if I’d do serials I would get stereotyped, that was another reason for not doing serials,” says Naman, whose acting as the young Baba Ramdev in the show on the yoga guru was highly appreciated. “But on the other hand, playing Baba Ramdev on television, I was under the impression that it was a feature film. I didn’t know that it was a serial but it was completely worth my time because it was very different from what I had played before. Doing the role of a person who is partially paralyzed and speaks Haryanavi was very tough and different,” he says.
Naman Jain (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)
Naman, who was the lead actor in 'Chillar Party', for which he also won a National Award for the Best Child Actor, says he’s waiting for the right time to think about doing lead roles in films. “In Bollywood, child actors do not get lead roles because they are supporting actors. They support other actors which makes the film even more graceful because children representing in a film is quite a big thing. I guess playing a lead will probably happen after five-six years, because then I will be of that age to play a lead role,” he reasons. “I have movies lined up, and it has been two years since I have done any film, so I don’t know how people are going to react. And after five years you don’t know anything as your face, your features change and to be an actor, your height matters. So I don’t know what will happen after five years, how I am going to look. I’m just avoiding any pre-planning because I’m happy with what is going on in my present life,” he adds.
— Saad Abbasi