MUMBAI: In the 90s, Ilu –Ilu, the famous song from the blockbuster film Saudagar, was love anthem for many. This song catapulted both Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran to fame. Mushran became an overnight success.

Post Saudagar, he did excellent movies with veteran actors like Jackie Shroff, Amrish Puri, Madhuri Dixit, to name a few, but his career didn’t take off, the way it should have. Finally, the lady- luck favoured him, and small screen beckoned his talent. Mushran did TV shows like Star Plus’s Son Pari, Zee TV’s Kitty Party, and Sony’s Bhaskar Bharti, which made him a household name again.  Now the man is in the news yet for his stellar performance in Veere Di Wedding. TC grabbed this opportunity to know more about him. Here are the excerpts from his interview.

Post the success of Veere Di Wedding, what’s coming up next?

Recently, I directed a short film, in which I have acted too. Two actors narrate the story n a room, the concept is novice and has a message also for its viewers.

Do you wish to play lead roles again?

Definitely! I started off with Saudagar as a lead. I had the chance to work with the biggest superstars and banners, but unfortunately, my career didn’t shape well. Then television happened, and I got lucky, but the TV industry is highly unpredictable if your show is on air people know you, and once it goes off the air, then people may not even remember you. But again luck played its charm on me and casting director Mukesh Chabra gave me the opportunity to work in films like Tamasha and Begum Jaan, where my work got noticed.

In tough times what kept you going?

I kept myself open to every opportunity that came my way, and that kept me going. Length of the role didn’t matter, the substance in the role does matter. It’s not the lead or the second lead that matters, what counts is how you portray that role.

According to you how television has evolved?

Television has evolved over the years. In fact, television stars have their fan following and their popularity is on par with any movie actor. People love quality work; medium could be any.

What do you think of Vivek Mushran?