Udaariyaan actor Samarth Mahendra Singh Jurel: It doesn’t matter what story you are narrating, what matters is the content and if viewers are able to connect with it

Samarth Mahendra Singh Jurel as Nikhil in Udaariyaan is quite a popular character. The show is being produced by Ravie Dubey and Sargun Mehta’s Dreamiyata Entertainment. He shares his thoughts.

“My character Nikhil is a bindas, fun-loving, jolly kind of a person, who has just come back from London. He flirts a lot with girls, has many girlfriends, is very friendly with his brother and dad. I found Nikhil very similar to one of my friends, who went to Canada for higher studies. So I tried to imbibe a few characteristics from my friend and added a few elements from my ends. If you ask me, I’m very different from Nikhil in real life. Yes, I’m a fun loving guy too with happy hormones but I feel shy talking to girls, I’m an ambivert honestly. I’ve limited people/friends in my life, so it was very difficult for me to get into the skin of this character, but then I guess that’s the best part of playing someone else on screen,” he says.

Enjoying his association with Dreamyata, he shares that the team is amazing, and he is having a good time shooting in Chandigarh for the drama.

“Yes, I do miss Mumbai a lot. In the beginning it was very difficult for me to settle down in Chandigarh but now I’m used to it too. I like the weather, the crew is amazing , and the co-actors are super energetic,” he continues, “Udaariyaan has a very youthful flavour in the story that makes it special. I am happy to be a part of a show that has youth connect.”

Punjabi storytelling is being enjoyed by the audience these days. “I feel that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Punjabi story or South Indian story or a story from a different region, what matters is the content. The audience should connect with your story and your character,” adds the actor, who listens to retro Bollywood music or watches movies to unwind after a busy day at work.

About the two trends he has noticed in the TV industry, the actor says, “Women getting pregnant in a week and changing star cast via a road accident are two things that are quite common these days.”

If not an actor, Samarth would have been a cricketer. “I’ve been playing cricket since my childhood. My dad wanted me to become a cricketer. But then acting happened and I am loving it. I have actually done theatre for five years and that has taught me a lot. I really admire Shah Rukh Khan. But as an actor I like Rajkumar Rao’s work, the way he becomes each and every character he plays on screen is mind blowing,” he adds.