Shaan Groverr is all set to woo the audience with his new show – Leaked on Amazon Mini. After winning rave reviews for his performance in shows like – Roohaniyat, Decoded season 3, RejectX 2 and many more; Shaan feels Leaked will give him a new fanbase.
International Business Times, India, got in touch with the actor to talk about how he got the part, the USP of the show and more.
Tell us about your character in Leaked.
Well, my character - Nikhil - is everything one could ask for! A lover, a true friend, a topper & a star football player. But he's an underdog too, since he doesn't belong to a rich family like others in the school. A perfect reference for Nikhil would be Shahrukh Khan from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. In the end Nikhil takes the biggest fall, no spoilers sorry.
How did you get the part?
It's a crazy one. Almost every actor from our age group must have auditioned for one of the parts that there is on the show. And so did my really close friends. They used to tell me that I should give it a try too. But I was in a phase in my life where I wasn't giving auditions, wanted to just sit back and take a break. But my manager got very persistent on me giving this audition for character Za in this show. I gave the audition in a very nonchalant way just to keep him happy. The next thing I get to know is that everybody loved my audition and they wanted to test me for Nikhil as well. And Nikhil is a character I've always manifested, couldn't say no to it. So, I gave the audition and like they say rest is history.
How was your working experience?
I'm the happiest when I'm on the set and working. But this time while it was exceptionally hectic, I was enjoying it to the core. I was shooting for two shows around the same time. I used to travel back and forth from one city to the other to shoot for both my shows and it was really taxing. I was shooting for Roohaniyat in Pune and Leaked in Mumbai & Surat. I used to be exhausted but I can easily say that those 3-4 months were the best months of my life. I was living a complete actor's life.
What should audience expect from the show?
It's much more than that. Of course, the main issue in hand is the suicide/murder of a teenage girl. But the show also focuses on the complexities of if not all, most of the teenage kids in today's time. There's a big football rivalry also in hand, between Nikhil & Za. The show is about love, friendship and family drama as well. It's a gripping show that will keep you enticed till the very last minute of the last episode.
Any memorable incident?
There is one incident that I can easily say is one of my fondest memories ever. So the school that we were shooting in Surat was running while we were shooting there, so the students were familiar with us. On their last day I'd just finished off a scene outside a class in a balcony, coincidentally their last lecture also got over. As soon as the bell rang, there were hundreds of students with their brown notebooks right at my face to get my autograph. All I could see was a tsunami of kids coming on to me with their notebooks. I'd never experienced something like that in my life. The very first thing I did after getting out of there, was call my mum & dad and narrate them the whole scene.
How do you maintain your physique? Any tips for the youth?
Being active and working out is the key. I've always been very actively involved in sports and fitness. I do martial arts and gymnastics as well, it's been 3-4 years now for me. I love running as well, so my cardio is sorted especially because I have the sweetest tooth ever. I never compromise on my food, I eat wholeheartedly and try to cover up as much as possible with my workouts. Sometimes I hit the gym twice in a day as well.