Karan Oberoi won't let music restrict his acting career

Karan Oberoi

Karan Oberoi, who has tasted success in the world of acting as well as music, says that with content becoming the hero of late, he will not let his passion for music restrict his ambition as an actor. Karan made his acting debut with Mahesh Bhatt's TV serial, "Swabhimaan" and after a few more shows, he went on to pursue his passion for music by becoming a member of A Band of Boys in 2001.

The band was on a break in the middle, but it is now reactivating with a few changes in the band members. Working on a contractual basis with Go Live Talent and Records, the band will unveil its first track on June 11. Besides the band, would he be interested in getting back to acting after "Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin" in 2006 and "Zindagi Badal Sakta Hai Hadsaa" in 2008 ? "Yes, now with the content taking centre stage across all eco-systems I am already exploring that side of me. I was a part of a web series called 'Inside Edge', which was big success on digital, and also a part of the second and third season which we are shooting some time next month," Karan told IANS in an e-mail interview. "In addition to that, I am waiting for my film 'Strawberry Point' to release, which would hopefully get me acceptance as an actor once again. I am also doing a huge musical, which needs both my skills. And I am not letting my passion for music restrict my ambition as an actor, especially during the times of good content," he added. When the band churned out the hit tracks like "Meri neend" , "Nain katari" and "Gori", the boys became a household name. But did it open more doors for him in the industry? Karan says he started getting movie offers and so did the other band members.

"We were very passionate about the band; also all our tours kept us pretty busy. So, we could not really convert those offers into something tangible. And with all the adulation and travelling we weren't really complaining either," he said. Initially the band consisted of Karan, Sudhanshu Pandey, Sherrin Varghese, Siddharth Haldipur and Chint2 Bhosale. But now it has Danny Fernandes with Sudhanshu and Siddharth dropping out. Karan says that many people may not be aware that Danny has been with the band since its inception. "He is the one who has taught us dancing, stage craft and more. He is a dear friend and a rocking stage performer -- plus he raps. All of that just adds to the band's strength. Plus we have a fab vibe which translates very well on stage. And to be honest, the last 10 gigs we have done with him, audiences haven't event noticed it and have gone pretty well. So I am sure, it will be a good journey going forward," he said.

Why wasn't the reactivation done sooner? Karan said the music scenario for indie pop after the heady days of 1990s and early 2000s had been very badly hit. "With the plummeting sales of cassettes and CDs, all music companies stopped promoting pop artistes and started focusing on Bollywood. So avenues from which an artiste could express his original music become limited till the digital age kicked in and now it's simpler for the artiste to record and release his music and interact with his fan base directly," he said.

"That was primarily the reason for it. Our focus stayed on live performances which is what we are also known for. Plus it was heartening to keep reading about how we were missed by the audience in multiple blogs, articles, listicles carried by various bloggers and websites," he added. "So we thought the time was just right". In addition to releasing its new track titled "Yuhin jalne ko" which will feature Samiksha Bhatnagar, Gazal Somaiah, Simrrann Sabarwal and Sneha Namanandi, the band will also be embarking on a multi-city tour in August.

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