Veer Hanuman EXCLUSIVE: Arav Chowdharry shares why Kesari's role is special to him, struggles of fitting into character, and more

Actor Arav Chowdharry has been roped in to essay the role of Hanuman's father, Kesari in the upcoming serial Veer Hanuman.

By Shaibalina Choudhury

Updated on Jan 29, 2025 | 08:31 PM IST | 15.5K

(PC: Arav Chowdharry Instagram)

Actor Arav Chowdharry, who has extensively worked in television as well as Bollywood, will be seen in an interesting role in the upcoming serial, Veer Hanuman. The actor will be essaying the role of Hanuman's father, Kesari.

While speaking exclusively with Pinkvilla, Arav Chowdharry shares why the role in Veer Hanuman is special to him. He also opens up about the challenges he faces while preparing for the character and more.

Calling himself a Hanuman 'bhakt,' the actor shares that he has grown up reading the Hanuman Chalisa. He shares, “Toh mere liye saubhagya ki baat hain ki mujhe Hanuman ke pita Kesari ka kirdar nibhane ka mauka mil raha hain. That itself is a blessing for me. (It is a matter of great fortune for me that I have the opportunity to play the role of Hanuman's father, Kesari)."

Talking about the preparations for the role and the challenges, he says, "One thing is, one has to look like Kesari. Hanuman jo hain, wo bohot shaktiman hain, aur unke pita bhi shaktishali honge. So, I have gained roughly around 10kgs of muscle in the last three to four months. That is the difficult part."

(One thing is that one has to look like Kesari. Hanuman is very powerful, and his father must be strong, too. So, I have gained roughly around 10 kgs of muscle in the last three to four months. That was the difficult part.)

The actor, who was also in Shrimad Ramayan, continues saying, "Another difficult part is putting dentures into the mouth. To get the denture of the right size is a task. Badha ho jayega toh muh bandh nahi hoga, aur chhota hoga toh dekhne mein achha nahi hoga. Then to speak with it, doing mock shoots, getting used to that is a difficult task."

(Another difficult part is wearing dentures. Getting the right size is a challenge—if they are too big, the mouth won't close properly, and if they are too small, they won't look good. Then, speaking with them, doing mock shoots, and getting used to them is also a tough task.)

"Rest of the things, how strong Kesari is or how much he loves his wife, and everything will be shown in the serial. Multiple things that are relevant in today's times, when we talk about empowering women, wo bhi ayega in the first episode itself," adds the Veer Hanuman actor.

Arav Chowdharry also shares how he draws inspiration for his character. “Mein kabhi bhi real life mein dekhta hi nahi hu. I always use my own imagination to create any character. There are hardly any reference points, so there's no point in taking inspiration from real life. Jo humein imagination, kagaz and parne ko milta hain, all that put together is how one creates the character."

(I never look at real life for reference. I always use my own imagination to create any character. There are hardly any reference points, so there's no point in taking inspiration from real life. Whatever we get from our imagination, scripts, and what we read—all of that comes together to shape the character.)

He also tells us that he never performs under pressure. He enjoys the process of creating the character and playing it, irrespective of the audience's reaction.

Chowdharry, who has been seen in many mythological serials over the years, including Mahabharat, is not afraid of being stereotyped in the industry. In his words, "It's been 10 years that I worked on Mahabharat. That has been the most successful show from India."

"I did back-to-back films after that, many diverse films. I was in Housefull 3 where I was playing a comic character. I have done Tamil and Telugu films, there's action, romance, everything. After that, I did a regular show– Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon," concludes the actor.

Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more exclusive updates!