'Trying hard to avoid eye-candy tag', says 'Qubool Hai' star Namik Paul

For the past two years Namik Paul was happy to put his work on the backburner and devote time to his family But once an actor always an actor His love for acting has brought him back to the set Paul who made his television debut with Qubool Hai and became a household name with Ek Duje Ke Vaaste and Ek Deewana Tha will soon be seen in Lag Ja Gale opposite Tanisha Mehta In conversation with midday he talks about being drawn to romantic dramas and waiting for the right project in digital entertainmentEdited excerpts from the interviewDid you fear that industry folks would forget about you in your absenceMy fans often messaged me privately saying that I should take up a role so that they could see me lsquoOut of sight out of mindrsquo didnrsquot affect me because I was getting calls for work If I wanted to be in the public eye constantly I would become an influencer start my YouTube channel or do fitness videos But being in the public eye has never been my goal I want to do good work that makes me happy I was okay waiting for a story that speaks to meHow did Lag Ja Gale come your wayI sent in my audition tape did a look test and after my second look test I was told that the makers have confirmed me for the showThe concept of falling in love with the person you initially hate is done to death What is different in this showThe difference always comes with the execution It ultimately comes down to how the makers execute the characters and their interaction The leads clash before getting to know each other but that is the case with most love stories right If you compare only that aspect then every story would feel done to deathHere it is a lot more natural There are many sequences that I have enjoyed readingWhat do you think of the depiction of love stories on televisionI have grown up watching Shah Rukh Khan Aamir Khan Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan With every Shah Rukh release boys would start acting like him and women would be swooning over him That is what I have grown up seeing When romantic dramas are done well they give a pleasant feeling It is fun to watch two clashing personalities fall in love People relate to that or wish that it happened to them Have you seen the Korean dramas that have become so popular Holding hands staring into your partnerrsquos eyes is a romantic trope around the world it is not specific to Indian televisionWhy havenrsquot you explored more of OTT after The TripThe roles that I have been offered so far have been racier and bold When people call with offers the first thing they ask is if I am comfortable doing everything on screen even before discussing the character So I am waiting for a script that will draw me inWatch Tina Datta Shalin Bhanot is a better actor than a person Bigg Boss Sreejita De Archana GautamDo you feel you are being typecast as an eyecandyI donrsquot know whether I am being typecast but certain roles come with that expectation Casting agents look at your appearance and whether you work out in the gym or not I feel it is all part of the process Eventually you have to build your portfolio through your auditions and performances I donrsquot think I have got the eyecandy tag yet and I am trying hard to avoid it too