After a 14-year run that made him a household name, actor Khushwant Walia says he's ready to step beyond the comfort of daily soaps. First introduced to audiences as Rubel Deewan in Star Plus' Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara, Walia has since built a steady career with shows like Kismat Ki Lakiro Se, Naagin, Sasural Simar Ka, Ishq Ka Rang Safed, Gustakh Dil, Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali and Woh Toh Hai Albelaa. More recently, he's been seen in Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile, Mangal Lakshmi, and a string of micro-dramas including Dil Wali Deal, Baap Baap Hota Hai, My Handsome Bodyguard, The Second Life, Machine Aur Mohabbat and Dhurandhar Delivery Boy.
"TV gives you a lot of stability, that's for sure," Walia said. "You're occupied for 20 to 25 days in a month. This huge channel is promoting you. They are doing collaboration reels with you or maybe collaboration posts with you. And so what happens is, as an actor, you don't really need to bother about your social media because that is somewhere taken care of. Because you've been seen thrice in a day." He pointed out that prime-time shows air multiple times and stay accessible on OTT platforms. "Any show that runs in its prime time slot definitely airs, plus it has a repeat maybe once late in the night or once in the afternoon. Plus it's always available on OTT, maybe on Jio hotstar, or on Sony LIV. So there is visibility when you are doing a show. And social media is of course taken care of," he added. "Do I still prefer TV over OTT? Not really, because now at this point of time in my career, I feel like I've been there, done that. I've seen the popularity one can get, the reach you have in television and everything. That's beautiful," he said. He's not shutting the door on television but ready to explore new opportunities. "I'm not saying that I would deny any good role when it comes to television. But at the same time I'm exploring OTT and other mediums as well. Like recently I shot for Waves OTT and I'm waiting - the last schedule is still pending and it's a beautiful series. So I'm waiting for that. I did shoot for some other series also which I cannot really mention at this point of time." "Even the OTT people put reels and they promote your work. So I know for sure that visibility and your social media is taken care of from their side as well. So that's not the thing," he explained. What matters to him now is the work itself. "I would love to do whatever is exciting and whatever excites me. And budget as well, yeah," he signed off with a laugh. With a filmography that spans both daily soaps and digital experiments, Walia seems set on his next act: choosing scripts over platforms.More Articles