Karan Kundrra on trolls he faces for dating Tejasswi Prakash: ‘Do these people have the capacity to reach us?’

In a candid interaction, the heartthrob opened up about the choices he made in his 13-year acting career, how he balances his public image and the massive fan love he and his partner Tejasswi Prakash enjoy.

“I was very popular when I was doing television. Then I quit and did Mubarakan and 1921. There are phases when you’re very popular, then there are phases when you’re prepping to step up. I’ve purposely gone out of sight, but thankfully have never been out of mind,” Karan said looking back at his career.

Karan made his acting debut in 2009 with the hit TV show Kitani Mohabbat Hai. But in three years, he exited daily soaps and turned the host with Gumrah. He had a successful stint with MTV too, in Roadies and Love School. In the midst, he also did films and returned to the small screen with another hit outing, Dil Hi Toh Hai.

“There’s a big difference between being popular and being a star. People seen on TV everyday are popular faces. But do their films sell tickets and OTT shows sell subscriptions, that’s the question. When you see from a career point of view, sometimes you have to take a break and get invisible to ensure you become a saleable commodity,” Karan shared.

The actor revealed that he started off with Kitani Mohabbat Hai at Rs 4000. But he never bothered about money. “After it got humongous success everyone advised me to do a bigger show for Rs 25000, but I did Gumrah, a crime show, something that people do at 40. I quit Roadies at the peak too. Then I didn’t do TV for five years. I returned for Ekta (Kapoor) ma’am only (Dil Hi Toh Hai) and got paid Rs 1.20 lakh. The more madness I carry, the better for me.”

Calling MTV a “fantastic phase” Karan said his association with the channel gave him a youth connect. Though he says his forte is fiction, he explains why he refuses to pick any daily soap that comes his way. “I won’t be able to do a daily soap even for Rs 2.5 lakh a day. I don’t have the strength for a long format and daily soaps demand a commitment for a year or two. Of course there’s an enormous amount of money in TV but I don’t want to miss out on other exciting things. Like I love traveling. ”

 

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Karan, who played the part of a jailor in Kangana Ranaut hosted Lock Upp, is currently hosting Dance Deewane Juniors. While he’s largely seen doing non-fiction, he revealed that his decision to take up Bigg Boss 15 left many surprised. “People asked me why, because either your begin your career with Bigg Boss or you do it to revive it. I take everyone’s advice but I do as per my own will. What have you achieved in life to give me advice?” Karan questioned.

The Salman Khan-hosted show became a shining point in his career, changing his image. Accepting it all, Karan opined, “Probably because of the lifestyle choices I’ve had, people thought I was very high-fi or arrogant. At least that has changed. Plus, you also get a better understanding of yourself, the extent you can rise or fall to win a show,” he quipped.

Karan became the second runner-up, and actor Tejasswi Prakash won the season. But Bigg Boss gave the two contestants-turned-lovebirds massive fan-following. Popularly called ‘TejRan‘, Karan and Tejasswi make regular public appearances hand-in-hand and indulge in a lot of affection on social media too.

Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash have been dating each ever since Bigg Boss 15. (Photo: Instagram/Karan Kundrra)

But does Karan agree that their relationship is taking the spotlight away from their work? The 37-year-old actor said, “It’s always a concern. But at the end of the day, if my craft is not doing well, why am I here? Tell me one project of mine which is not at the top. There are people whose work doesn’t speak, only their articles speak. My team has decided of not positioning me and making an image for me.”

Adding that your “work and bank balance” should speak for itself, he said he doesn’t shy away from owning the choices he makes. “She is doing extremely well independently. I am doing my own things. And people who are watching our shows are making us the top people whatever we are touching,” he added.

But what about the trolls they face in the name of “fake PDA” to grab eyeballs? “If you see how I’ve had my career, how opinionated I am about what I say or do, do you think I’m worried about a backlash? Do you think we would be bothered about somebody sitting in some corner of the planet with a smartphone and Twitter account? There is some frustrated soul who’s facing issues in their life or feeling jealous about others’ happiness and wants to vent out. If you remove Twitter from their lives, do you think these people have the capacity to actually reach us? There are lovely people too who we live for. They are important to us, and not the trolls,” he explained.