Arav Chowdharry, best known for playing Bhishma in Mahabharat, is currently seen in Zindagi Ka U Turn. The actor essays the character of a business tycoon, Jaiveer Oberoi, in the Pocket TV show.
Interestingly, it happens to be Arav’s first-ever vertical format show. After his show’s premiere, Arav exclusively interacted with Zoom. In conversation with us, Arav revealed what excited him about Zindagi Ka U Turn. He also reflected on the challenges of shooting for vertical format.
Arav Chowdharry on shooting for vertical format
When Arav was asked if he faced any challenges portraying his role in Zindagi Ka U Turn, the actor shared, “The challenge is not about the character to play. As an actor, this is a real-life character. And one has seen such characters all around you. He’s a business tycoon; he’s got his own money. It’s not difficult to play the character.”
The actor further revealed what the real challenge has been. “The challenge is to shoot for a vertical format, and how it is shot. Because of time constraints, we should film it for 12 hours a day. But in 12 hours, we’re doing so many scenes without any break. Scene after scene, depending on the location one has chosen. There’s no time to rehearse, there’s no time to go for a retake.”
Arav highlighted that from close-ups to wide shots, everything happens simultaneously with multiple cameras. He also admitted, “And there are times when you’re not even looking directly into the actor’s eyes. You’re cheating because there’s a problem with some camera angle. So all that put together is a real challenge.”
Arav Chowdharry on doing Zindagi Ka U Turn
Continuing the chat, Arav shared what excited him about doing Zindagi Ka U Turn. “It’s a new format and it’s exciting. Everybody seems to be getting on to the bandwagon of what it was now. Pocket TV is one of the biggest players, I’m told. Everybody seems to be watching vertical these days because everybody’s got a mobile. That’s exciting.”
Meanwhile, on the work front, Arav has done popular television shows like Mahabharat, Shrimad Ramayan, Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyaag Tandav, Dhaakad and others.