Varun Sood of Roadies fame talks about working with Raveena Tandon in the Disney + Hotstar show Karmaa Calling, launching his own merchandise label and sharing screen space with Ananya Panday in Amazon Prime’s upcoming show Call Me Bae.
Your last series Karmma Calling on Disney + Hotstar has garnered positive reviews from the audience. What was your reaction when the role was offered to you?
Varun Sood: I was very grateful that my big break in fiction was a show like Karmma calling on Disney+ Hotstar. I was really thrilled. It felt unreal because as outsiders you only dream of the day your first big thing would be offered to you and when that day finally came, I couldn’t believe it.
I was even more grateful when the audience accepted me as Aahan Kothari with open arms.
What was it like to play Raveena Tandon’s son in Karmaa Calling?
Varun Sood: Raveena ma’am treated me like her son. Working with her was a learning experience. Raveena ma’am made things very comfortable on set. She often told me stories about the times when she started acting. She would give suggestions to make a scene better. She is a very kind person.
Your upcoming series Call Me Bae alongside Ananya Panday is slated to release on September 6…
Varun Sood: Call Me Bae is my first project with Dharmatic. To work under that label is a dream come true for every actor. Working with Ananya was very exciting. She is a really fun person; extremely professional and a happy soul. It was all smiles on set throughout. I also felt extremely lucky that my character was poles apart from what I played in Karmma Calling.
You recently launched your own merchandise label Merch Garage. How did this idea come up?
Varun Sood: I was always inspired by athletes starting their own brands and making merchandise inspired by their beliefs. When I got that opportunity, I went ahead and did the same.
You wanted to follow in your father’s footsteps with a military career. How did acting happen?
Varun Sood: The plan was to always join the army. Then one day I saw that auditions for Roadies were going to happen. I would watch the show as a child. So, I thought, why not go and audition for it and see what it’s like before I join the army. Luckily I got selected and eventually got signed on by MTV. I love the process of creating a show. When I started taking acting workshops after being an MTV VJ, I fell in love with the craft.
Is there a certain type of character you want to manifest for yourself?
Varun Sood: I honestly want to play a superhero! I hope it happens soon.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Varun Sood: My plan is to be a busy working actor. I want to keep exploring different genres in web shows and films and make an impact with my work. I also want to work towards the brand and make it big and that is the goal.
