MUMBAI:  They say losing a pet is as close to losing a family member and no one could agree more than actor Anand Goradia who in the last few months lost his pet dog owing to the latter’s age. An animal lover for the most part of his life, Anand owned a mixed German-Pomeranian breed that was dearly loved by him and his wife. Unable to deal with the loss of their pet who grew to become one amongst them, the couple decided to perform the craft of taxidermy to keep the presence of the little furry animal alive. The actor has played several notable characters on television with genres varying from drama and mythology and will now be seen stepping into the fantasy-horror genre with &TV’s Laal Ishq.

A rare craft is known to mankind; Anand was at first little peculiar about performing this art on his dog. However thorough research and an unusual approach towards life got the actor drawn towards this thought. Sharing his thoughts behind the same, Goradia said, “As a kid, I was never allowed to nurture a pet dog. It’s only once I got married that I along with my wife decided to own a dog and name her, Gia. She was very young when we brought her home and became the closest companion to our entire family. In a matter of months, she became one of the closest members so much so that life after her death seemed quite difficult. We lost Gia at the age of 15 years around 8-10 months back and each one of us had a hard time dealing with this news. While a few doctors advised us to bury her, we were consulted by one on taxidermizing our dog in a manner that we would always feel her presence around us. At first, it was a pretty peculiar thought to us, but considering our deep love towards her, we decided to take this decision. After thorough research, we found a renowned doctor in the city who performs this art and took Gia to him. It took about three and a half months for the entire process to complete and once we had a chance to see Gia, it almost felt like we never lost her. Somewhere, via this, we feel her presence around us.”

The upcoming episode of Laal Ishq is set to showcase Anand essaying the character of Basesar,  the eldest brother in a family who will be facing the most haunted battle with spirit from his past. Responsible for the death of his younger brother’s wife,  Basesar now has to face the daunting spirit that reveals itself from a Yakshini murti that was once brought by his sister-in-law. Out to seek revenge, will this ghost manage to succeed in killing Basesar and his family or will the former find a triumph in this spooky battle?