The hunk on television

RARING TO GO

For someone who started acting in 2013, he has made quite a name for himself on the small screen. After debuting in Yeh Hai Aashiqui, he also starred in Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera. He is currently acting in two shows Ye Hai Mohabbatein and Kavach...Kaali Shaktiyon Se. Meet Vivek Dahiya, the toast of the small screen.

Vivek admits that although he liked to act, it was always on the back-burner. “I did my Bachelor’s and Master’s in the UK and worked there for a couple of years in the corporate world with no intention of pursuing acting seriously. I did a little bit of theatre as part of extracurricular activities. Destiny had me back in India when one thing led to another, and I got into modelling. I wanted to move up the ladder so I came to Mumbai and started auditioning. With every audition, I learnt what is required for the job and eventually got my first acting assignment,” Vivek says.

So, how was it playing a negative role in his debut serial? “I really enjoyed playing that role. I used to get many hate messages and even got a threat from one of the students when my character killed someone on the show! I felt I had done a good job as the guy was convinced I had done it for real,” he says.

Incidentally, Vivek states that this was a versatile role where he explored different genres — romance, thrill, suspense, action, drama, and even being possessed. “It was not a regular show with the usual set; it was shot on the best camera, we had a film camera and we had a lot of outdoors also, it was pretty challenging, which made it all the more interesting. I hope I’m able to take this learning forward. It was a school for me, an institution.”

Vivek got married last year to his Ye Hai Mohabbatein co-star Divyanka Tripathi, a versatile actor in her own right. So, is it easy to work with your life partner, I ask him. “My wife is also an actor, which puts me in a greater position, because there is a different level of understanding and compatibility, not just personally but professionally too. Things like getting late from work, or an early pack-up, there is always an understanding. While doing a scene also, I find myself getting suggestions from her, which is quite nice. She is like my mentor, my best friend who I can share everything with, who is also ahead in the game. I feel blessed to have her as my wife,” says Vivek.

With most television stars aiming for the big screen, I ask him if movies are on his mind too, and he says, “I came to Mumbai with a clear mindset that I want to act and it did not matter what the platform was — web series, TV, theatre or movies. All I want to do is to follow my passion. If films happen, that will be amazing, but I am not proactively persuasive towards that. My job is to act. I want to do it to the best of my capacity and capability.”

His dream role is to play a special agent. “I would like to play someone from the intelligence team; living out of India, working on a special project who has a wife or a girlfriend, and cannot reveal his status to anyone. I love to do action, and at the same time I would love to explore romance because, in the last show, as the genre of the show was supernatural, I did not get to explore romance as much. But I think I would love to tell a love story.”

Outside work, Vivek loves working out, watching movies, travelling, and be a part of different cultures, cuisines, and interact with different people from different walks of life. “I think I had a good taste of different genres while doing Kavach..., it taught me a lot. I want to utilise everything I’ve learnt and give my best in the future on whatever platform it is. I am ready for bigger things now. I just want to gain more exposure, do bigger roles, and play my part to the best of my abilities,” he signs off.