Juggling modelling & acting

tv star

You may know him as Siddhant from Sasural Simar Ka or as Sameer from Teen Bahuraniyaan. Or you may recognise him as a former contestant of ‘Grasim Mr. India’. Or perhaps as a martial arts expert, a reiki specialist or as a photographer. Well, it is certainly hard not to know Manish Raisinghan.

A techie with an engineering background, Manish says acting happened to him by accident. “I was picked by my seniors to participate in an inter-college fashion show, as they were short of a model. And I happened to be selected as the best male model, which somehow started my journey. This was never really a part of the plan. Similarly, acting was an unplanned move. The opportunity not just came knocking on my doors, but it ensured I took it on seriously for life,” reveals Manish.

He goes on, “My first big break was with Balaji Telefilms. They checked if I could act. When I wasn’t too sure about it, they assured I would learn it during the process. My only question was if good money was being offered. It was my Sindhi instincts that compelled me to take it up,” chuckles Manish. Incidentally, it was Balaji’s Kaahin Kissii Roz where he started learning the craft and soon mastered the ropes, and established himself firmly as an actor in Balaji’s Kahiin Toh Hoga.

Considering that he has played several characters on television, I ask him if he counts any of them as memorable. “It has to be Sameer Gheewala from Teen Bahuraniyaan on Zee TV. I played a conman and my role had many shades. It was a massive hit and it brought out the actor in me. Another role that has been extremely close to my heart is Siddhant from Sasural Simar Ka. It had a different element and connected well with the audiences. In fact, I owe the super success of Siddhant to the fans, who made it much larger than I even expected it to be when I joined the show.”

A successful ramp model, Manish has done several print campaigns as well. I quiz him about his transition from modelling to acting. “There was never really a transition as I have been doing both parallelly. I have been lucky enough to explore both at the same time. I am pretty restless as a person and cannot live a monotonous life. So, I act and also walk the ramp, which is pretty exciting,” states Manish.

Catering to the masses

With a plethora of content across multiple genres, television is changing today. What is Manish’s take on this? “Today’s television shows are catering to the demands of the masses. You may choose to agree or disagree, but the makers are making what is working for the audiences. And this arrangement is working just fine. For actors, there is an element of surprise and maybe fear of being ridiculed at times. But you serve what the viewers have asked for. If you have a guest at your hotel, you would not serve what you want. You will serve what the guest asks for. That is exactly what we are doing in television today, and I am proud to be a part of the TV clan,” he says.

After doing a cameo in the movie Heroine, Manish says we can expect to see him again on the big screen soon. “I have been caught up with many things like my new venture, apart from developing some software. But after that, big screen is on for sure,” he assures.
Manish has also been at the Cannes Film Festival and says it was a great experience for him. “My only agenda was to learn, watch, absorb when I was walking alongside the mavericks of cinema. It is exhilarating to listen to all the creative people. But the moment of pride for me was when one of the three short films I acted in premiered at Cannes. Also, two other films where I was involved behind the camera, were put up on display at the Indian pavilion at the festival,” beams Manish.

The actor is active on social media and says it is everyone’s birthright. “For us actors, social media is like a playground, our window to the world. It is the best way to reach out to the audiences on a personal level. It is a give and take process, wherein fans give us honest feedback, support us and shower us with love.”

For Manish, while it is important to have fun while working, it’s also important to take a break every now and then. He prefers to go on a drive or take a quick break and travel with close friends when free.