As a boy, all he dreamt about was joining the Indian Army so he joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) during his school and college, and trained for at least eight years as a Unfortunately, his dream was shattered when he met with an accident, tearing his ligament, and he was prescribed bed rest for over a year. This is when, after pursuing his degree in BBM, he aspired to become a radio jockey, then a video jockey and ultimately, fate surprised him with an opportunity to work in a feature film. Now, a popular face on television, Niranjan BS, who plays the lead in the hit teleserial Kamali speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about his unexpected journey into the entertainment world.
“This is my fourth project on television. My debut was Gandhari, and then Nandini, which is being telecast in four different languages, including Kannada. Later, I also did a soap in Tamil. Now in Kamali, I play the character of Rishi which has earned me appreciation along with more opportunities. With packed dates dedicated to Kamali, which is among the top serials in Kannada, I haven’t been able take up anything new,” says Niranjan.
However, acting was never on his mind until he was accidentally cast in a serial. “I wanted to serve in the Indian Army, and my interest was always towards preparing for a career in the armed forces. I was into sports, and served in the NCC for over eight years. I was the senior under officer. But, all of it came to an end when I met with an accident. I tore my ligament and I was on bed rest for over a year. This is when life taught me some lessons. It eventually made me strong. I started looking for other options. I tried my luck at becoming a radio jockey,” he shares.
But, he soon changed his mind as it involved tedious effort, and tried his hand at becoming a video jockey instead. The result was same, before he eventually got opportunities to work in short films, and one of his popular ones aimed at entertaining youth titled Sri Ramachandra earned him his debut film venture Vascodigama.
“I was fortunate to grab a major role in the movie where I also learned the basics of the art and got great exposure. After the movie, though my role was appreciated, I didn’t get any new offers. I kept getting so many offers to work in television, which I had turned down. Later, I regretted that. I even acted in Masterpiece which starred Rocking Star Yash. I soon realised the worth of television, and grabbed the opportunity to work in serials starting with Gandhari,” he adds.
Born and brought up in Bengaluru, his mother is a teacher and his father runs a catering business. “Unlike many other projects, I get to essay more realistic characters in serials. In fact, male leads in serials are more or less treated as supporting roles which is far from reality. In Kamali, I am glad that I get to play a sensible character. I am also getting a lot of film offers, but due to a packed scheduled, I will take them later. As of now, I am concentrating on building a career around TV. I have hardly slept in the three months since I started,” Niranjan says.
He lost more than 20 kilos for his role in Kamali. The state level volleyball, Kabaddi, and swimming athlete looks on to his screen tryst with anticipation.
