Amit Gaur: I am a rank newcomer and I am waiting for good opportunities to come my way.
Amit Gaur, a model turned actor who was seen in several television commercials got his first break into Bollywood with the movie, Force starring John Abraham in the lead role. Currently, playing a role of Coach Tarun Kapoor in Channel V's leading show Swim Team, he is among the one who is here to go a long way. Here he speaks about his life and career...
How did you land the role in your debut film?
Well, Force happened when producer Vipul Shah was casting and I reached out to him. He wanted a fresh face to play the role of one of the three cops along with two experienced cops. I met Vipul and we spoke about the film after which he made me meet director Nishikant Kamat. He loved the audition, we sat and had a good long chat, he thought I would fit the bill. I played a character named Mahesh. Nishikant is a great director and I got to learn a lot from me.
Tell us something about your background.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, I live in Juhu. I did my schooling from Maneckji Cooper and college from Mithibai after which I took lessons in aviation in America. I am a trained pilot with a commercial license. I have my own health food company called 'Swa' which means 'soul' in Sanskrit. My sister Aditi is the founder and we provide bespoke service. Apart from all this I train six days a week in the gym, I am a national level volleyball player and I play twice a week with my friends in Bandra. I play soccer for charity in All Stars Football Club with Abhishek Bachchan as captain. I guess all this helped me perform my role better in Swim Team as a coach.
One actor/actress you would want to do a film with and why?
I want to do a film with Amitabh Bachchan and I am sure it is every actor's dream. We have grown up watching his films and he is a legend and we all look up to him. Working with him will be an epitome of acting for me. I am a rank newcomer and I am waiting for good opportunities to come my way. And actress I cannot take one name as there are many who have a great screen presence. The long list includes Kajol, Tabu, Deepika, Kareena and Parineeti and more.
How open would you be to do bold scenes?
If it goes with the flow of the story I do not mind doing bold scenes. Recently, for SwimTeam I did a lip- lock scene in a swimming pool and it was appreciated as it looked natural and was required in the script. As actors we have to take it as a part of our job and not to make a hue and cry about it.
One newcomer's role you wish you had made your debut with?
Any role done by a newcomer, I feel whoever did it, he was a clear choice. People have done great jobs I don't want to take it away from them.
What's next?
SwimTeam's TRP is highest and there are talks that it will be extended. I am under an exclusive contract with Endemol till August end so let's see how it goes. This serial has given me a great platform to experiment and a lot of people have approached me for work after this so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
- Jigna Shah