Exclusive - Jaideep Ahlawat on not being cast in romantic roles: 'Maine kabhi bhi ye nahi kaha ki woh mujhe cast nahi...'

Jaideep Ahlawat has been impressed his fans with his performance in Paatal Lok Season 2

Jaideep Ahalwat is winning hearts once again with his portrayal of Hathiram Chaudhary in the season 2 of Paatal Lok. The multi faceted actor, who is now being compared to Irrfan Khan, says he takes it as a complement and cannot thank his fans enough for this honour.

In an exclusive conversation with Money Control, Jaideep Ahlawat opened up about his career, his approach to acting, and his connection to his characters.

When quizzed about his statement on not being cast in romantic roles like the ones done by SRK, Salman or Aamir in the past, Jaideep said there is a shift in Bollywood from the traditional romantic portrayals.

Jaideep also denied having said that makers will not cast him in romantic movies, 'there are certain roles where they won't cast me in that type of role.'

"Romancing around the trees aik dum band ho gaya hai there is no romancing around the trees now. Maine kabhi bhi ye nahi kaha ki woh mujhe cast nahi karenge but certain roles aise hote hain ki uss tarah ke roles mein woh mujhe cast nahi karenge. But off course romantic roles I did. There is romance between Hathiram and Renu it is a different kind of romance. I'm sure there'll be some there'll be some stories that, they will find the romance for me. (Romancing around the trees has become a thing of the past. I never said that they won't cast me in romantic movie, but there are certain roles where they won't cast me in that type of role. However, I have done romantic roles. There is romance between Hathiram and Renu, but it's a different kind of romance. I'm sure there will be stories that will find mance for me.)

Jaideep Ahlawat also discussed about the meticulous preparation he underwent to reprise his role as Hathiram in Paatal Lok season 2.

"For this, preparations were made, just so that Hathiram remains believable from season 1 until now, and his character reaches the story. And after this, whatever stories come, an attempt will be made to play them."

How Hathiram was different between two seasons 

He also explained the difference in portraying Hathiram between the two seasons: "In season 1, definitely, it was the beginning, so all the things had to be done. The character of Hathiram had to be established. It was made believable and reached the audience. In season 2, there was already an introduction of the character. The situation was different, there were more difficulties, and how Hathiram operated in that was created."

Paatal Lok Season 1, which catapulted him to fame, was released in 2020 and we asked him what took them so long to bring back the second season. To this Jaideep said it was due to the writing process and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regarding the pressure to surpass the success of the first season, Ahlawat said he doesn't feel any pressure and his only focus is to give his best performance.

"You don't think that much. You write a new story, a new case in a new way. I'm sure [it will be] better. Making it better is not the pressure from our side- for eg to make season 2 better than season 1, just stick to the right story and stick to the entire script and storyline and characters and hope that it works."

Maharaj Vs Paatal Lok 

Jaideep Ahlawat, who gained weight for Paatal Lok and lost good amount of weight to flaunt his six pack abs in Siddharth P Malhotra's Maharaj, says he is willing to transform physically for a role onscreen if the character requires it.

"If it's required, I would love to do that. It was required for Maharaj, so I did it. Otherwise, there is no need to do it unnecessarily. But of course, it is easy to gain weight (such was the case for me). It takes a lot of time to lose weight. It is a lot of hard work, you have to be disciplined, be aware of what you are eating. It is definitely difficult," he added.

Jaideep Ahlawat has always said that he is not a very social media savy person. And while talking to us, the actor said he cannot lose his mental peace for social media and it is a burden for him to always be active on social media platforms.

"I feel if you want to connect with your followers then you must. It is a personal choice. If you can, you do it. How you handle it, it is your personal choice, nothing right, nothing wrong. My personal thinking is I am not able to manage it and I feel it is a huge burden on my mind. For me, losing my mental peace to do that feels like a burden. Maybe because of this reason I am not seen much on social media," he said.

Early days in Mumbai

Jaideep Ahlawat also reflected on his early days in Mumbai and the adjustments he had to make in the city.

"It was similar to what others feel and go through when they shift to a new place. You are in a comfort zone in your place and when you move to another city then you have to adjust. Because it is your workplace. Of course, because you love the job and you love doing what you were doing. Other things gradually adjust."

He also clarified that he didn't experience bullying: "No, there was no bullying. Not everyone is that educated. It depends on how you take bullying. No one is so exceptionally talented that someone... I won't say that my company was so awful that people would bully you. Definitely, when you become an actor, you should have control over your language. Friends definitely tease you that 'you are not speaking Hindi correctly,' but that's not bullying, it is making your friend feel better and for his betterment."

Comparisons with Irrfan Khan 

Jaideep Ahlawat also expressed gratitude for the comparisons to late Irrfan Khan: "I am genuinely thankful for those compliments. I can't say anything else. It's a huge compliment."

Jaideep recently lost his father and while talking to us he said that he was very close to his father.

He shared a relatable anecdote about his relationship with his father during his teenage years.

"This is a normal story of our middle-class families that, especially in teenage years, there is always tension between father and son. There can be many reasons for this, different for everyone. But like Hathiram and Sidharth's, it has been the same for many people, that's why they relate to that situation. But definitely, I was very connected to my father, and he has seen my journey from when I was a student who was in 11th class, who used to go on stage for poetic recitation competition and till Hathiram, of course."

His bond with Vijay Varma and Rajkummar Rao 

He also described his bond with his friends and now co-actor Vijay Varma and Rajkummar Rao. Both Vijay and Rajkummar Rao are now established actors. Jaideep and Vijay were classmates at FTII Pune in 2005 and the same batch also included Rajkummar Rao.

While talking about his 2 decades old friendship with Vijay and Rajkummar, Jaideep said there is no jealousy among each other and in fact whenever they meet they go back to discussing their college days and the time spent together.

"Same is our bond (Vijay Varma and Rajkummar Rao). When you meet, you go back to how you were as students (FTII) . You have known each other for so many years, and all of us appreciate each other and our work. If we see someone's good work, then we call [them]. Other than that, they are just boys who worked together in a film school and tried to make it work. There is no jealousy among the boys at all. It doesn't matter because of jealousy. It doesn't matter at all because of jealousy," he said with a huge smile on his face.

Jaideep Ahlawat reiterated his connection to the character of Hathiram and said that this character is very close to him.

"Even if he wasn't Haryanvi, I would still feel close to him. Now it's a bit more because it is my mother tongue. That was the first language that you learned, so of course. But definitely, it is very close to me," he says.

Finally we asked him about the character which he loves to portray the mos on screen - is it negative, positive or grey as he has got love in all his roles. To this he replies: "I have never thought that this is a negative character or positive. When the character comes in front of you, then only the fun comes, then only you know whether you enjoy doing it or not. So there is nothing like I have to do only negative or all positive. All grey [characters] are good. It depends on the story and how important it is in that story."

Jaideep began his career with small roles in films like 'Aakrosh' and 'Khatta Meetha,' but gradually became known for his versatility. His portrayal of Shahid Khan in 'Gangs of Wasseypur' marked a significant turning point, showcasing his ability to perform complex characters.

Jaideep's career reached new heights with his role as Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary in the critically acclaimed web series 'Paatal Lok,' for which he received widespread praise and established himself as a prominent actor.