EXCLUSIVE: Naagin actor Vijayendra Kumeria talks about juggling between TV shows and family life

The TV industry is filled with some drool-worthy men and amongst the top contenders is the small screen’s heartthrob Vijayendra Kumeria. With amazing performances in Udaan and Naagin, the actor has been doing well for himself on the professional front. And sharing his journey also talking about his future plans, Vijayendra gets into an amazing conversation with Instafeed. Read on…

The lockdown brought normal life to stand still for months, how has this period been for you?

The first three months were very difficult, all of us were home, but then for a month, I stepped out to shoot for the conclusion of Naagin 4. After that, since unlock has begun, we all have been stepping out for important work. Even though it is feeling a little normal, we all are waiting for things to get back to normal completely. 

How has the lockdown impacted the TV industry?

Of course, the impact has been huge. As we all know, lots of shows didn’t come back on-air post lockdown, some which returned was concluded soon after because of lots of issues like budgets were reworked. A lot of stories are such that even the smallest gap in them makes it very difficult to get them back on track. Television is facing these issues and lots of people have also started watching shows on OTT and other digital platforms. So, it has made a difference. 

But as the unlock phase is progressing, we are seeing lots of sequels of shows returning, but how are the makers working on bringing back the existing shows. Are they going to start the story from they left it or will we see a new plotline?

The shows that were decided to be kept on-air, have started shooting with some new tracks. Almost all the shows on-air have resumed shooting with necessary precautions. There are some other shows also in the pipeline that were approved earlier, but put on hold. Everything is slowly coming back to track. Talking about sequels, I read about a couple of them returning, it’s a good thing because they might get back the viewership that was there earlier. Maybe it’s a good strategy.

Vijayendra, tell us something about your journey. Did you dream of being an actor as a child or did it come later in life? How did you start off?

I was always inclined towards acting, but it was in 2010 that I decided to try my luck in the industry at least once.  Then I came to Mumbai, and I was here only, but after sometime, I went to Doha. I was working in the aviation industry as a cabin crew. But later on, I took a firm decision of becoming an actor, I decided to give myself two years and if in that I get good work, I would continue. Luckily, that happened. With god’s grace, I kept getting good work.

How was your first ever experience on set?

My first day of shooting was for a pilot episode, it was my first experience working with a crew where I was actually acting in front of a camera. The funniest thing was that I had no technical knowledge, so after finishing a scene I took a sigh of relief. But later on, I got to know that there is so much cutting that happens from different angles, you have to perform so many times, it’s not like there is a multi-camera set-up, all that I started understanding with time. But there is a lot of nervousness when you face a camera for the first time. 

Do you think as a TV actor physical appearance is very important? Like you might have to look a certain way, have a great physique, else you cannot be an actor.

Somewhere if you want to do lead roles, then looks definitely matter. I am not saying that you need to be extremely good looking, but you should be presentable. You should look fit and comfortable in the clothes you wear. But good looks are not the most important, talent matters too. If a good-looking person is put in front of the camera, but he cannot act, then there will be no connection with the audience. 

TV is a very demanding medium, in that how does one manage family life?

It is very difficult, especially when you start off you have to give your 100, at times 200 percent. There have been times when I have shot for 48 hours non-stop, of course, small breaks. But if you have to make your career in any field, you have to work very hard. After establishing yourself, you can set rules, of not working for more than 12 hours if not needed. If there is a situation, where the producers are stuck and we have to deliver, we obviously don’t leave the set and go. No actor is like that. Managing family life gets difficult but somewhere they support you and understand your work.  They know that even if a show is on, they will get limited time and in those few hours, we spend time with our families. The days when there is no shoot, we are available at home all the time and spend it with family. 

Do you watch your shows and self-evaluate? Also, whose your biggest critic?

This is the only reason why I watch almost all of my work. Because certain things you will not understand while acting but will notice when you see it, especially the technical things. My family is always very honest with me, I get the most correct feedback from them. My wife gives me the most honest feedback. 

So you consult her even when taking up a show?

Yes, we obviously discuss at home when I get a call or do a look test, I even take their feedback. But the final decision is always mine, because we believe, that you should make your own career choices. 

Reality shows give you a different exposure, what is your take on them? Would you be up for one?

It depends on which reality show it is, if it excites me then I will surely do it. But so far, I have not been offered a reality show, in between one was offered, but since I was busy, I couldn’t do it. I believe, that you should decide something only when you get an offer and not think beforehand. Reality shows give you a lot of exposure, but so do TV shows, but reality shows help your fan following an increase on social media is what I have seen. Reality show actors are more active on social media I feel. For a TV show, many times the viewers are not active on social media, my show Udaan was seen by many people, it was one of the best shows, yet its audience was not very active on social media. 

There have been discussions about a film city being made in UP what are your views on it? Don’t you think it can divide the industry?

It's not that we will create a divide because in India there are other film cities too. I have heard that they are even thinking of making one in Gujarat. Anyways we all go for outdoor shoots, be it films, TV or OTT, so I wish they make more such film cities in different places. It will give us a lot of options to shoot and will also add that places flavor. So, it’s a good idea. 

Do you plan to explore the web-space or films in the future?

Why not? Everyone is seeing OTT platforms these days, due to the lockdown viewership for web-series has increased a lot. Also, the web-space has lots of exciting content, so whenever I get a chance, I will grab the opportunity. 

What is the message you would like to give to other aspiring actors?

Firstly, self-analysis is most important, a lot of people cannot analyze if they are cut out for this industry or no. Also, they need to give themselves some time to establish in the industry. And always keep a back-up plan ready. Be focused, passionate, and work very hard. 

What’s next on the professional front?

As of now, I haven’t signed any show, talks have been on. I am waiting for a nice role that excites me. I cannot just go an shoot anything, I should enjoy the role I am playing. So very soon something will come, be it on TV or OTT. 

Written by Nawaz Kochra

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