For those who’ve watched The Family Man 2, you might know actor Abhay Verma as Kalyan, the boy-next-door who Srikant Tiwari’s daughter Dhriti falls in love with, or as Salman, the young boy in dilemma, who is helping terrorists with their mission. Bringing out the subtle differences between Kalyan and Salman with ease is Abhay, a 22-year-old actor who arrived in Mumbai from Panipat years ago. He has previously been a part of television commercials apart from starring in Little Things among other projects. But the success of The Family Man 2 is like never before. 

“I was not expecting it at all,” said Abhay in an exclusive interview with Times Now Digital. “People have showered Kalyan and Salman with so much love and affection… it’s great to be in that situation when you work hard and get appreciated. Your hard work receiving appreciation from all the places makes it worth it,” he shared. 

Asked how his life has changed after the release of the critically-acclaimed The Family Man 2, Abhay shared that it’s been as simple as before, but he’s in a happier state now, owing to the love coming his way. “You also get the confidence to work on other projects. Life has always been kind to me and I am trying to make the most out of my time,” he said.

Opening up about his mother’s reaction to the show, Abhay shared how his mother greeted him on call just a while before the interview. “Meri mummy ne mujhe abhi phone karke bola – tu namaste bolega ya as-salamu alaykum bolega?” he laughingly said. The actor further added that he can see in his mother’s eyes that she’s proud of him. 

“After The Family Man 2, a lot of people have been messaging her also and telling her that your son has done a very good job. So I think it matters a lot to my mother that more than me, other people are telling her about my work. Hearing it from her that I have done good work and I am proud of you was enough for me,” he said. 

Recounting how he landed the crucial role in the Raj Nidimorua and Krishna D.K-series, Abhay said that he followed the due process of the audition, which he considers to be an extremely important step for any actor. He recalled being “very nervous” and “sceptical” before the audition when he went to casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s office.    

“You get a nervousness inside of you knowing that it’s such a huge show, it’s being appreciated a lot and every actor has done a fabulous job in the guidance of Raj and DK sir and Suparn sir for this season. So you feel nervous, and you can’t get it out of the system, it’s just with you,” he articulated, recalling that he was thinking what if he did something wrong. 

However, the actor feels that the nervousness played a big role in him cracking the audition. Elaborating, “Generally, nervousness is something that puts you in an inner state where are not comfortable and it helps to push you in a better way. Somehow, you just give out something which you don’t expect yourself.” The actor said that the nervousness gave him a kick of sorts, and can make anyone realise how much they want something.

Abhay, who was given a scene of Kalyan to perform, shared that his “blinkers are on” whenever he sets out for an audition. “I don’t see anyone – I look down on the floor or I look to the ceiling, I don’t like to see much of movement going here and there and people chatting,” he added. 

During the shoot, Abhay revealed that Raj and DK asked him to give a brief for his character instead of the usual other way round process. “To listen to the actors first and then putting something into their head, because you have to take certain things out of their mind so they don’t just make that the principle of the character,” he said, appreciating the creators’ process.

Co-starring Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni, Priyamani,  Sharib Hashmi, Sunny Hinduja, Sharad Kelkar, and Shahab Ali amongst more impeccable actors, the show released earlier this month.  

Crediting both Raj and DK and co-director Suparn Varma, Abhay said that they just let the actors flow, set them free, and allow them to have fun as well. “I had a lot of fun, it was a roller-coaster of emotions because the characters, their psyche, and ideologies are completely different from each other, so I was trying to maintain a thin line,” he explained.  

Even when shooting, Abhay was consciously aware that he had to maintain differentiation between the character’s identity and his own. “As soon as the director calls action, the reaction should be that of the character and can’t be of what you are, so I kept it in my mind. The differentiation was clear that this is Kalyan, this is Salman and this is me,” he said when asked if his character’s storyline impacted him in any way. 

The show, which has received critical acclaim and commercial success, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.