Exclusive - #TellyBlazer Balika Vadhu fame Avinash Mukherjee: I always prioritised studies over acting and never ran behind fame

Balika Vadhu fame Avinash Mukherjee, who started his career as a child actor with the popular show, became a household name as Jagya. The actor proved his acting prowess in the role of young Jagya. From a child actor to a leading man, Avinash's journey has been quite an interesting one. Speaking exclusively to ETimes TV for our segment Telly Blazer, the actor shared that he always gave preference to studies over his acting career and never ran behind fame.He also revealed that it was his visit to the sets of Kahin Kisi Roz that fascinated him to become an actor. Avinash also opened up about how he doesn't bother about how many followers he has on social media and says 'mujhe duniya par chaana hai...social media par nahi'.
When you look back at your journey from a child actor actor to leading man, how does it feel?
My journey in the TV industry has been very magical. I recently discovered that I completed 12 years in the industry. I feel blessed that everyday I wake up and do what I like to do everyday. I still have the same zest and passion to work which I had as a child actor. I always look forward to the audience liking my work and getting entertained. I think as an artist, we always work to bring entertainment in the lives of our audience and bring a smile on their faces.
Were you always inclined towards acting? When was the first time you felt attracted towards the profession?
As a kid I wanted to be an astronaut because I got to know that people only live for a certain time and then we only see them in pictures. So, I always felt that I would become an astronaut and I would go and visit them on their planet. But as I grew a little older
I used to often visit Mumbai because at that time my father was posted here for work. I would often travel to Mumbai from Delhi. He once took me to the sets of Kahin Kisi Roz and it was an amazing experience. That's the time I got fascinated towards acting and the industry. I told myself through working on television I can reach every household and every heart. I thought this is the best way to be remembered all your life. We remember Neil Armstrong, but we remember Rajesh Khanna in a different way. That was the motivation.
How did you bag Balika Vadhu?
My first big project was Balika Vadhu. But I had done a few small roles before bagging Jagya. Avika and I had done a show together called Rajkumar Aryan. I was the prince in that and Avika was my princess. The show was produced by the same production house which made Balika Vadhu. So, they saw the project and called us for auditions. While I was giving the audition, the camera man ran with his camera shouting 'Jagya mil gaya'.
Do you still remember the craze and fan following you saw after Balika Vadhu?
We were kids and the response we got during and after Balika Vadhu was phenomenal. It was an amazing and unexpected feeling. We got so much love, blessings, fan following from all age groups for the roles we played. I remember whenever we used to attend events in places like Kolkata, South, Gujarat, Rajasthan some 20,000 or 30,000 crowd would come to see or meet us. Recently, I had gone on a tour to Vietnam, Jakarta, Indonesia and the show still has that craze. It is amazing to see what television has given us and what we achieved after the show. I am really fortunate and glad and I always say that the reach of Indian television is very broad. It reaches every household and there is a need for such inspiring and good content which makes a difference to society. The main objective of television is to bring a change in the society with it's with content like Balika Vadhu and Shakti.
How did your life change after Balika Vadhu?
My life changed drastically after I did Balika Vadhu. I learnt a lot, people loved me so much. Today, whatever I have achieved or learnt is because of the show. I just hope I continue to achieve in future too and I am glad that people are loving me in my current show, Shakti also.
During the lockdown Balika Vadhu had a rerun did you watch it?
It was a surreal experience to watch Balika Vadhu again during the lockdown. When I was watching myself on camera I was amazed to see the work I had done as a child. I often asked myself have I done this in the same lifetime. I knew nothing about acting at that point of time, but I could see a rawness in my work, scenes. Because of watching the show again, I realised I should always have the rawness and should never let it be overshadowed by technicality.

Tell us something about the experience of sharing screen space with Surekha Sikri, Anup Soni, Smita Bansal?
I think Surekha Sikri ma'am is one the best actors in the world. Not just in Indian television, film industry but in the entire world ever born. People feel that Heath Ledger's work was amazing in Batman as Joker and I feel she can be easily compared to him as an actor. I feel she can't be compared to anyone, she is just par excellence. I don't know where she gets acting from. As a kid I would always ask Surekha ma'am from where do you get acting and she would tell me, it's experience. So, I totally believe that acting can't be learnt and only experience can make you a better actor. Then there were actors like Anup Soni, Smita Bansal, Satish Sharma and everyone else. They would all teach us so many things while working with them. Be it diction, body language or technicalities, they would always teach us something or other.

Was your transition from a child actor to a leading man on TV difficult?
After Balika Vadhu, I never had this plan that I have to return to acting as soon as possible. People around me kept telling me that you should return to acting as soon as possible and it is necessary to be seen. But I don't believe in this. For me what matters is what story I am telling, which story I am being part of and what it is saying to society. My mom was very clear about one thing from the beginning that my acting should never come in between my studies and it should never be a disturbance. So, if you look at my filmography I did Balika Vadhu and took a break for my 10th board exams, I did another show and then I again took a break for my 12th board exams, I did few shows after 12th and again took a break for my graduation. I also tried my hands at a few start-ups and businesses and then I took up Shakti. Now, with Shakti I am doing a few other businesses and I am also doing a diploma course from the US. I have a vision and I am 23 now, I have a plan-goal for the next 6 years. I think challenges and competition are part and parcel of any profession but I am very happy that people have given me so much love and recognition. And because of all the love and support, these challenges look small.
Did you go through rejections?
I don't feel there is anything such as rejections. When we go for an audition or for a job interview and end of it if we don't get it that doesn't mean we were bad. It simply means we did not fit the criteria of the job or role required. I have always focussed on studies more than acting. Just 9 months ago I got my graduation degree and now I am entering the TV industry in a full-fledged way. There are challenges in life but I don't look at it that way. I am very positive in life.
Do you take the pressure of having followers on social media?
The social media world is very different and everything you see there is not real. I never take a pressure to be extra active on social media. My PR team keeps telling me to post photographs, but I do once in 15 days. I don't get time to go through that grill of clicking a good picture, think of the caption and then post it. I am not too social media savvy, I am somewhere in between. I don't think it is very important to be very active on social media. I do it when I want to spread a word or say something to my fans. I don't take that pressure, mujhe zindagi mein chaana hai... social media par nahi. And I feel it will be there for 3-4 more years and then the craze will fade away.