After his much hyped entry in 2002 with ‘Ab Ke Baras’ Nadira and Raj Babbar’s son is still struggling to get a foothold in Bollywood. Following his sister Juhi who made her TV debut with Ghar ki baat, Arya too will be seen debuting on the small screen. Now Arya Babbar is playing another inning in Sony’s Specials @ 10 with Madhur Bhandarkar’s series Heroine zindagi ke pannon se.

A gung-ho Arya spoke to Tellychakkar on his debut on television and lots more.

Why this sudden jump to television? Don’t you want to do films anymore?

No it’s not like that and it was not a sudden jump actually. Specials @ 10 are like one hour films on television and hence I felt as if I was doing a film.

Did you make any special effort to prepare yourself for this show?

Yes, the role was very different and challenging. There is a love track between a pimp and a prostitute. I went to Kamathipura and other red light areas of Mumbai and tried to understand the place and the people over there. It helped me a lot for the role.

Why did you change your name from Aary to Arya?

It’s just that one fine morning I got up and thought of changing my name from Aary to Arya, so I did it. And also because sometimes people call me Aariyan so I thought that changing my spelling could help them to understand my real name.

If you are offered the main lead in one of the television shows, will you accept?

Yes why not? If it is interesting and something very unique, I will surely give it a try. But it’s not that I would charge less or work for free because after all ‘money makes a man perfect’. (laughs)

Do you consult your parents and sister (Juhi) before signing a film or a TV show?

No, I do not take any permission before signing any project. I did not even ask anyone at my home before signing Heroine on Sony. I just ask them for their blessings.

Who is your favourite actor on television?

I admire Ronit Roy. He is the finest actor of the small screen. I like his dialogue delivery the most.

And your TV favourite show?

Actually my mother is a big fan of Ballika Vadhu. She can not afford to miss the show. It’s because of her that I saw some of the episodes and believe me I found it an amazing show. But I am a big fan of most of the shows on Star World.

Will you follow in your father’s footsteps and ever enter politics?

Well one day you may find me entering politics but for now I just want to concentrate on my acting career.

Today is 1st April. Have you ever played any prank on anyone?

Yes, I am a big prankster. I remember I injured my left eye injured and almost lost my vision for two months. That was the month of January. After I recovered on 1st April I called everyone to my house and started shouting that I had gone totally blind. Oh! It was one of the funniest days of my life.