Manish extols 'Aarya'

Actor Manish Chaudhari who is best known for his character of Sunil Puri in 'Rocket Singh' , has done notable work in films like 'URI , 'Satyamev Jayate, 'Batla House', 'By pass road', 'Bazaar' , 'Mohenjo-Daro' , 'Raaz 3', 'Jannat 2', is currently seen in 'Aarya', a web series playing a pivotal role of Shekhawat.

On talking about his rapport with Sushmita Sen, he says, "Sushmita and I had some difficult scenes to do together which involved a level of physical violence. To make these scenes as natural as possible, Sushmita and I had to have all our guards down and just go for it! She was a very willing and energetic 'partner in crime'. I really enjoyed working with her."

'Aarya' is based on the Dutch series 'Penoza'. It has been adapted beautifully by Ram and Sandeep Modi to the Indian context. They have set it in a crime family of drug runners in Rajasthan. My character of Shekhawat is an opposing drug running mafia don to Aarya's family.

On praising director Ram Madhvani, he says, "Ram Madhvani's process as a director is very immersive and organic. As an actor I am always looking to work with directors who are passionate about their process, craft and storytelling.

I have been looking forward to work with Ram since the time he made LET'S TALK almost 20 years ago and I loved what he did in Neerja. And when 'Aarya' finally worked out I was ecstatic and have savoured every moment of his inimitable process."

Manish says that he is ecstatic that'Aarya' has received such an overwhelming response from the audience. Accepting them is his greatest reward as an actor.

Even before COVID , Over the Top(OTT) platforms in our country and around the world were fast becoming the future of entertainment. This lockdown around the world has only hastened that process. It's a win-win situation for creators and audiences alike.

Manish says, "I have personally missed going to the cinema as have countless others around the world over the last three months but as the situation demands alternate avenues of entertainment, OTT is the perfect answer."

Manish was lucky enough to have finished almost all his shooting assignments just before the lockdown, a large chunk of this time has been a welcome break, though he is now raring to go back to work.

For him 'Powder' series that was aired on SONY was one of the major milestones in my career. It's been 10 years since it was aired on SONY TV, then he got a new lease of life in 2017 on Netflix. Powder pushed the boundary of understanding of a television series in India.

According to Manish if 'Powder' would have been released today it would get anoverwhelming response.Characters must come alive no matter what the medium.This is going to push our industry into creating content which can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best from around the world. Film makers and creators including the highly talented new breed are very much up to the task.

His upcoming projects are a web series directed by AlankritaSrivastav of 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' fame and a thriller on SONYLIV.