What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of veteran television actor Kiran Karmarkar? We are sure it’s his character Om from the popular show Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. The show ran for over eight years (2000-2008) and was headlined by Kiran along with Sakshi Tanwar. After almost 14 years, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii has made its comeback on television and its rerun has left fans nostalgic.
Amid all this, in an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha, Kiran Karmarkar talked about how he broke his Om image after Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii ended in 2008. The actor shared that he immediately signed for several different shows post Kahaani and said, “I broke Om’s image instantly. I immediately signed up for several different shows. Makers cast an actor considering he’s good for the role. I did a show in which I played a character who fought the world to make his daughter a cricketer. It had nothing to with Om. Following this, I did a show called Dhhai Kilo Prem Ke in which my character used to think that a woman is only fit for household work. Then I did a show with Smriti Irani in which I essayed the role of a mentally retarded person.”
However, the actor also revealed how he meet people even today who remember him as Om. “People accepted me (in other roles) but even today they know me as Om. I tell them that I have done several shows after that too. They tell me that they are aware of it but they know me as Om. It is better for an actor to be known as a successful character rather than nobody knowing him,” he added.
During the interview, Kiran was also asked if a rerun of older shows also means that today’s daily soaps have failed to connect with the audience. The actor disagreed with this and explained that it is largely because the audience does not want to stick to a particular show for a long time today. “People’s preferences change quickly. They want to watch a show quickly and then want to move on to another. If a show is going on and on, they do not want to watch it. Such shows (longer running) also had altogether a different pleasure – you used to connect with the characters and know what’s happening with them in the longer run. There used to be a curiosity among people, it’s not there today,” the 64-year-old actor said.
Kiran Karmarkar concluded by saying that while 5/20 shows used to work for a longer period ten years back, the proportion has now changed to 5/50.
“They want different stories, different characters. Today’s generation does not want to go to a restaurant and order a full meal. They visit the food court, eat a burger, then a roll and an ice cream. They want different things. That’s how the audience works. They watch a show for a year and then they want to switch. Despite this, there are some shows which appeal to them a lot like Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Back then, five out of 20 shows used work for a long time. Today, 5 out of 50 shows are running for a long run. We think that only a few shows are working without considering that 50 shows are being made today,” the actor told us.
