EXCLUSIVE: “I'm naturally not inclined to talk about myself or market myself online” – Siddhant Karnick

By Resham Sengar

Updated on Sep 17, 2014 | 03:25 PM IST | 4.2M

Television actor Siddhant Karnick of ‘Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani’ and ‘Gustakh Dil’ fame, spoke to Pinkvilla.com about his famous Airtel ad, his social life or lack of it, and his solo bike trips.
Excerpts from the conversation:

The new Airtel ad you shot created buzz on the social network. How did you bag the ad and did you do the ad with any specific purpose, such as social change, in mind?

I auditioned for the ad like any other. But I almost didn't do it as I had a play on the day of ad shoot. So when I was shortlisted, I had to decline as the play was already booked and confirmed and it was in Pune.

When I expressed this conern to the production, they were very accommodating. The shoot was supposed to be on a Sunday because that's the only day that particular office complex in Kuala Lumpur was available. I was sure of missing out on it.

But a commitment is a commitment and I had made one. So, mentally I was prepared to lose out on this ad.

However, they were very keen on having me on-board and the production changed their shooting schedule to accommodate me. And it all worked out.

So I was to finish shooting for another project on Thursday. And on Friday early morning I was to catch the flight to Kuala Lumpur to shoot the ad non-stop on Saturday. After finishing the shoot, I had to catch the early morning flight back to Bombay and then drive to Pune to reach there by afternoon and perform in the theater play in the evening and then return the same night to Bombay to shoot again early on Monday. Phew !!

What are you doing these days? We heard that you were out of Mumbai on your motorbike exploring a place with no mobile network.

Riding is my passion. And any time I have off from shoot and theatre, I ride, especially in the monsoons. That's when I feel the Western Ghats come alive.
So, I was riding through Bombay - Goa- Jog falls - Chikmunglur and then reached a tiger reserve on the southern border of Karnataka and then over to Shimoga - Pune - Bombay.

We don't see you socialise much on the social network unlike other celebrities.

I like to keep my privacy. I know it goes against the overall networking and marketing scheme for an actor. And talking about yourself does keep you in the news and that age old saying of 'Jo dikhta hain, Wo bikta hain '.
However, I'm naturally not inclined to talk about myself or market myself online.
Those who know me or know of me appreciate and understand that about me.