EXCLUSIVE: Sanjivani 2's Mohnish Bahl: Happy to be back; Looking forward to work with a new ensemble cast

If there is anyone who redefines versatility, it is Mohnish Bahl who has been a part of several movies and has equally contributed to a number of popular and hit television shows. The actor is returning to television post a sabbatical with Sanjivani 2 in which, he reprises his role of Dr Shashank Gupta. For those who have followed the previous two seasons of the show (Sanjivani: A Medical Boom, Dill Mill Gayye), are aware that Mohnish's character of Shashank has been one of the most key characters on the show. 

In an EXCLUSIVE chat with Mohnish, he expressed that he is very glad to be back to Sanjivani as he genuinely feels television has a scope. "I am happy because I have always felt that television has lot of scope. When the television went into the privatisation sector, we had wonderful shows like Koshish Ek Asha and Saans which encouraged me to move towards television and then, I came on with shows like Sanjivani and then, in the middle, I felt like it was going a bit haywire, so I am glad to be back into my space.

This installment will see him work with a different set of actors and characters. Sharing his thoughts on it, Mohnish said, "Obviously, I am excited. One always looks forward to working with new people and that's what cinema is also all about. Cinema makes it a 'not so regular 9-5 job' because you meet new people in every unit. So, it is a nice thing."

When asked if he is ready for the long working hours put in for television, Mohnish laughed off and explained, "No, no, it is not long hours for me. I stick to my 8 hours and I have fixed timings. I am an old man now and must be treated accordingly. I can't do television's 14-15 hours shift; I just cannot do it."

Shashank has always been a man of substance on the show. Is there any change we will see in him? "What you will see is slightly more matured Shashank. I am sure the essence of the man will still remain the same because most of our personalities are formed by the time we turn 25; his morals and traits will be the same. But of course, his reaction to situations will differ and is not something which I cannot reveal right now," Mohnish added.

In his career graph, Mohnish has played a number of roles, from playing an antagonist to protagonist and more, greyer characters and the 'sanskari' ones too. Crediting it to his luck, Mohnish said, "I have been lucky and I feel blessed that I have been among those actors who have been surviving even after 38 years of work and still being at the top of the game, so to speak in their category, and to be able to do so many varieties of work, it is sheer luck."

Mohnish is also shooting for Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon starrer Panipat. The actor, who has seen cinema changed in the last two decades, emphasized, "There is so much subtly in cinema today. Cinema is changing, I don't think we are looking at the cinemas of the 90s, not that the 90s was bad, I grew up and formed my career on that, but I see a change today. I think the shortcomings we felt at that point are being fulfilled now. I think as an actor, it is a very satisfying time currently and try and execute what the director envisions."

Can he say the same about television? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Mohnish shared, "Very honestly, this is a very personal view, but unfortunately, I don't see much change in television, in terms of progressiveness. Like I already mentioned, a few shows initially changed TV and the content which Balaji brought was new for that era, and then, we sort of started repeating the same thing. Since whatever works, everyone wants to replicate that. Now, what we see is a lot of mythological and magical stuff going on, supernatural things which are nice, but it is an overkill. I don't know why there are so many constraints, but people are trying to stay within the straight and narrow theory; they don't want to experiment too much. I think in television you have the option to not fall in the circle. But right now, I am seeing cinema and digital media exploring more, but I feel the channels are trying to stay in the comfort zone."