Although audiences are ready for evolved content, TV is playing it safe right now: Manav Gohil

Manav Gohil, who was last seen in the TV show (it went off air in the last week of July), was in his hometown Vadodara recently and we caught up with the actor for a quick chat. Manav, who has been a part of shows like , , , , and , and done Gujarati films like and , tells us, “Visiting my hometown was long overdue because I had come here during winter last year.Since it was a long weekend (Independence Day was on Monday), I decided to drive down from Mumbai along with Shweta (his wife) and Zahra (his daughter). Had I been shooting for a show, it wouldn’t have been possible but since this was between projects, I decided to come down. Zahra had a great time with her grandparents and on this trip, she managed to have a close look at how , and are made, and how sugarcane juice is extracted. She was quite excited and now, she wants to come here during Navratri. If my schedule permits, we will surely come again next month to play garba.” Manav adds, “With all the flyovers, Vadodara has changed a lot in the last few years and I felt a little embarrassed when I had to use GPS after entering the city.”

Talking about his last show, in which he played a negative role, Manav shares, “I have this image of a nice guy and so, when was offered to me, I was averse to the idea of playing a negative role. The producer of the show, who is a friend, convinced me by saying that people would love to see me doing something different. I took up the challenge and was quite surprised when people loved me in the show.” While there is a strong buzz that Manav has already signed up for a new show in which he will be seen opposite Shweta Tiwari, he says, “It’s too premature to talk about my next project right now.”

Manav, who completed shooting for a Gujarati film sometime back, feels that the industry needs to be cautious at this point. He says, “There is a fine line and being too ambitious at this point can kill the industry. I was told that the industry is bleeding because big-budget films haven’t done too well in the recent past. Instead of being overambitious, I feel the makers should look at a maximum budget of four to five crores for completing a film and once movies start doing well, they can aim for bigger things. Otherwise, if films start losing money, producers will be sceptical about investing in big-budget movies and that isn’t an ideal scenario. If I get good roles, I am open to doing more Gujarati movies.”

The actor has also completed shooting for his first web series, which is in Gujarati. Asked about how the OTT boom has impacted the film and TV industries, he shares, “There is no doubt that OTT has been a game changer and it offers fantastic opportunities for new talent. However, I am happy because I am getting good roles on TV and while I am open to doing OTT shows in Hindi, I will be selective. I would love to play a dark character on OTT. I also want to play an investigation officer in a thriller. Thanks to OTT, They have been exposed to quality films and so, mediocre films won’t work at theatres anymore. Unless it’s a big film or offers something very interesting, audiences aren’t keen to go to the theatres. So, some producers have also become smart and are making films only for OTT. However, TV is both unapologetic and unchanged even after the OTT boom.” Are there any changes that he would love to see when it comes to TV content? Manav shares, “I feel that although our audiences are now ready for more evolved content, TV is playing it very safe right now. While we have shows now that depict strong women, it’s almost like most stories need at least one victim. This needs to change.”

Manav, who enjoyed a US vacation with his family last month, says that all of them had a great time. “It was great fun and Zahra thoroughly enjoyed visiting Disney World and Universal Studios. Zahra is 10 years old now and this is the right age to enjoy these wonders,” he says.

In recent times, a lot of TV actors have spoken about how some production houses are casting actors based on their social media following. Asked about it, Manav shares, “It’s true that some production houses do that but fortunately, my work has never been affected by it.”