Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata actor Aadesh Chaudhary has always maintained a relatively low-key presence away from the spotlight. While he has been offered reality shows like Bigg Boss in the past, the actor says he never felt that format suited his personality. For him, being transparent and straightforward in real life is more important than being part of a show that demands constant strategy and reactions.

“I was offered Bigg Boss earlier, but I didn’t want to do it because I am not that kind of person. I am a very transparent person. If I am angry with you, it will show on my face. I don’t have the patience or the planning required for that kind of show,” Aadesh says.

He adds that he is also conscious about putting himself in situations where he may not know how he would react. “If someone points a finger at me or fights with me, I don’t know what my reaction would be. I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I don’t know how I am going to react.”

The actor is equally particular when it comes to choosing television projects. According to Aadesh, the size of a role does not matter as much as its relevance to the story and the scope for performance. “Until I like a role, I don’t say yes to a show. If I like the role, I say yes, and if I don’t like it, I say no. It doesn’t matter whether the show or the role is big or small. I look at whether the character makes me happy,” he says.

Aadesh also believes actors should consider having an alternate source of income or another skill, given the uncertainty that comes with the profession. “An actor’s life can be very insecure and uncertain. Sometimes you have work and sometimes you don’t. If you have other skills, I believe you should use them commercially. If you want to keep yourself financially secure, having an alternate career is a good idea.”

The actor, who has worked in television, also feels the industry has changed considerably when it comes to television actors moving into films and web shows. Recalling his own experience from around a decade ago, Aadesh says television actors were often considered too familiar to audiences. “Earlier, television actors were not given opportunities in Bollywood so easily. I was told that people had seen me too much on television and that my face had become too familiar. I was asked to wait,” he recalls.

While he did receive film offers, Aadesh says he chose not to take up certain roles because they did not have enough impact on the story. “It’s not that I don’t want to do small roles. I don’t need to be the hero. But there should be something in the story and the role should be performance-oriented. I haven’t got the kind of role I am looking for yet. The day I get it, you will see me in films very soon.”

Interestingly, Aadesh’s interest in health goes beyond maintaining his own fitness. He says that if he had not become an actor, he could have chosen a profession connected to health and nutrition. “I have a big interest in health-related things. I see a lot of wrong information going around on the internet. People give all kinds of advice about losing weight and getting fit, and a lot of it is wrong. If I wasn’t an actor, I would probably be a dietitian or doing something where I could help improve people’s health,” he says.

For him, fitness is not limited to workouts either. “Good food, a good workout and being in a good mental space are very important for health. The most important thing in life is to be happy.”

He also believes that people need to be more careful about staying hydrated during summer and paying attention to their overall intake rather than simply assuming that drinking water is always enough.

Beyond work and fitness, Aadesh admits that he misses the days when families and neighbourhoods would sit together to watch television. He feels social media and individualised viewing habits have taken away some of that shared experience.

“Earlier, the whole family would sit together and watch a show. When Ramayan or Mahabharat came on television, everyone would watch it together. Even cricket matches were watched together. If there was no electricity, people would go to the house where there was a battery-operated television,” he remembers.

“Now the child is watching a Korean drama or a cartoon on the phone, the mother is watching reels and the father is watching something else. I feel social media has taken us a little away from the family.”

Calling himself “a little old-fashioned,” Aadesh says he still tries to spend as much time as possible with his family. “Even today, I try to spend as much time as I can with my family and sit with them and watch television. My dad watches old films on YouTube and I sit and watch them with him.”

On the kind of roles and actors he admires, Aadesh says he has always been drawn towards performances that connect with the audience. He also names Amitabh Bachchan’s Vijay Dinanath Chauhan from Agneepath as a character he would love to portray someday.

While he appreciates stardom, Aadesh believes a strong performance has its own place. “As an actor, I have always tried to do performance-oriented work where I can touch the audience’s heart. Stars are also good actors. I am not saying that if someone is a star, they are not an actor. But the kind of stardom that Shah Rukh Khan has is something very special. I don’t think anyone like him will come again.”

For now, the actor wants audiences to continue supporting his upcoming projects and promises that there is more work on the way.