JOIN USActor and stand-up comedian Gaurav Gera says that when people meet him they “are quite disappointed” because in real life he comes across as a shy guy, which is in stark contrast to his reel life persona. “The biggest problem is that people don’t like to hear sense from me because they go by my on-screen personality where I am always seen cracking jokes and making fun,” he says. “But I am a shy person in real life and love to observe people,” he adds.
Gera, who made his small screen debut as Nandu in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin says the reason he stays away from doing TV shows is because he doesn’t find the content challenging anymore. “I am not going to take up roles for money. There has to be some challenge in the character,” Gera tells Metrolife.
Gera, who has now put on his dancing shoes for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 9 as his alter ego Chutki, says that he practiced a lot to master feminine gestures and body movements to look like a real woman. “I have command over Chutki’s expressions, but I needed to perfect my dance movements. I have danced as a man in Bollywood musical Jhumroo, but never as a woman,” he says.
“So, I had decided to practice as Chutki during rehearsals. And the biggest challenge at that time was to get used to dancing wearing heels,” he adds.
Ask him why he decided to participate in the show as Chutki and not as himself, he says, “I wanted to do it for Chutki because I want her to be a brand. In future. I have even envisioned a film on her.”
Does it, at times, become difficult for him to switch off from his alter ego? “People often ask me this question, but you have to understand that I am a grown up guy and I understand that I am only enacting a character,” he says.