Wednesday,
November
07,
2007
Abhinav
Shukla
chose
the
small
screen
as
a
medium
to
showcase
some
of
his
talent.
He
is
already
an
established
model,
but
we
will
now
see
him
as
Arjun
in
the
much
talked
about
serial,
'Jersey
No.
10',
on
SAB
TV.
He
is
very
excited
about
this
chance
to
act
in
a
cricket-based
serial,
since
he
has
always
wanted
to
be
more
of
an
action
and
thriller
hero,
more
than
a
romantic
hero.
Q.
Tell
us
something
about
your
role
in
'Jersey
No.
10'.
A.
I
play
Arjun,
whose
father
is
a
very
good
cricketer.
His
father
wants
him
to
be
as
good
as,
if
not
better
than,
him,
and
also
wants
the
son
to
be
a
part
of
the
Indian
Cricket
Team.
Arjun
is
therefore
a
student
at
the
Victoria
Academy,
training
to
be
a
world-class
cricketer.
He
is
a
good
cricketer,
but
he
plays
only
for
himself,
with
no
belief
in
team
work.
He
plays
to
appease
his
ego.
Q.
How
much
like
Arjun
are
you,
in
real
life?
A.
Very
different,
in
many
ways.
Arjun
is
over-confident,
and
I
am
only
confident
about
things
I
know,
like
photography,
modeling
and
acting.
Arjun
thinks
he
is
the
best
player
around,
and
can
do
whatever
he
wants,
which
is
not
how
I
think.
Q.
You
have
not
mentioned
cricket
in
your
personal
life.
A.
When
I
was
a
student,
I
was
more
interested
in
volleyball.
I
was
a
good
bowler,
as
far
as
cricket
is
concerned,
but
my
batting
was
weak.
I
had
no
idea
I
would
one
day
act
in
a
serial
based
on
the
sport.
I
am
lucky
–
I
am
learning
a
lot
about
the
game,
and
I
also
get
to
act.
Q.
Is
that
the
reason
for
agreeing
to
be
a
part
of
this
show?
A.
When
I
began
as
a
model
in
2004,
I
received
a
lot
of
offers
from
television
and
movie
producers.
I
did
not
take
these
offers
too
seriously,
because
most
of
them
were
of
the
melodrama
and
romance
genres.
I
wanted
to
do
something
different,
something
in
which
there
would
be
either
sports
or
crime
involved.
This
is
the
first
time
that
Indian
television
is
doing
something
like
this.
Cricket
is
a
religion
in
India,
and,
after
'Chak
De
India',
viewers
want
to
see
more
on
sports.
Q.
Sachin
Tendulkar
wears
the
jersey
no.
10
in
the
Indian
Cricket
team.
Is
this
relevant
to
your
serial?
A.
That
I
cannot
tell
you,
but
the
story
is
not
based
on
Tendulkar's
jersey.
The
most
deserving
player
wears
this
jersey
in
cricket.
In
the
serial,
both
Nakul
and
Arjun
do
their
best
to
earn
this
jersey,
and
they
are
both
good
players.
The
theme
of
the
story
is
this
–
who
is
the
more
deserving
player?
Q.
Models
usually
go
from
the
ramp
to
the
big
screen.
You
chose
the
small
screen,
despite
film
offers.
A.
That
was
for
the
big
screen,
but
the
banner
was
small.
Also,
it
was
a
romantic
role.
Even
if
a
Hollywood
producer
offers
me
a
romantic
role,
I
will
turn
it
down,
because
I
know
I
will
not
be
able
to
give
it
my
best.
I
think
the
story
of
the
film
is
what
matters
the
most,
and
the
rest
just
follow.
Q.
Tell
us
a
little
about
yourself.
A.
I
came
sixth
in
the
Gladrags
Manhunt
2004.
I
was
the
youngest
there,
at
19.
After
that,
I
completed
my
Engineering,
and
then
participated
in
the
Grasim
Mister
India
contest.
I
received
the
'Best
Physique' award.
I
came
in
sixth
in
this
contest,
too.
I
have
also
walked
the
ramp
for
the
Lakme
India
Fashion
Week
and
other
shows.
I
have
shot
for
a
few
ad
films,
including
one
with
Saif
Ali
Khan,
for
Lays;
and
for
the
Yamaha
Gladiator
bike.
I
represented
India
in
the
International
Manhunt
contest.
I
am
also
a
professional
photographer.
Q.
How
will
you
balance
between
your
modeling
and
your
acting?
A.
It
will
be
difficult
to
do
too
many
ramp
shows,
since
this
serial
is
a
daily
show.
However,
if
I
get
an
offer
to
walk
the
ramp
for
a
day
or
two,
then
I
will
have
to
manage
my
time
accordingly.
I
love
the
ramp.
I
have
to
dedicate
some
time
for
my
photography
as
well.
It
is
natural
to
get
into
acting
after
modeling.
Modeling
is
the
first
step
towards
becoming
an
actor.
Q.
Where
are
you
from,
originally?
Do
you
have
relatives
here?
A.
I
am
from
Ludhiana.
My
father
is
an
atomic
engineer.
My
mother
teaches
Hindi
and
Sanskrit.
My
elder
brother
is
a
mechanical
engineer
with
the
Indian
Navy.
I
am
an
electronic
engineer,
and
I
graduated
in
2004.
My
father,
my
brother,
and
I
are
all
technically
and
scientifically
inclined.
Q.
If
you
do
not
achieve
the
stardom
that
you
aim
for,
what
is
your
back-up
plan?
A.
It
is
impossible
that
I
will
fail
as
an
actor.
I
have
dreamt
of
nothing
but
this
for
the
past
24
years,
and
I
have
worked
towards
it.
If
failure
happens,
I
will
turn
to
direction
or
photography,
since
I
have
a
passion
for
it.
Q.
Are
you
anything
else
besides
this
show?
A.
I
have
just
signed
a
thriller
movie.
I
can't
tell
you
more
about
it,
sorry.