The secret life of Mr Bajaj

Karan Singh Grover poses with an incomplete painting that he says is inspired by his actor wife. Pic/ Satej Shinde

IF you follow actor Karan Singh Grover on Instagram, you are bound to believe that his life is one big party - either with wife Bipasha Basu, or with friends, or when he is at work playing the iconic character of Mr Bajaj on Kasautii Zindagii Kay. You will also learn that he is a fitness freak, with that amazingly muscular body. But, there is an another side to him, not talked about, that will soon make its debut. The actor has been sketching and painting for three years, and his first exhibition, Star Infinity, will be on show starting March 18 at India Fine Art Gallery in Mumbai.

When we meet him on the terrace of his Santa Cruz home to talk art, we end up talking about more. It's clear that his freewheeling nature doesn't just reflect in his art pieces, but also in his thoughts. When we ask him when he started painting, he quips, "today?" Then laughs. He has just given made the finishing touches to a piece called Aurora Borealis (also known as the Northern Lights), and says, "It's only recently that I have taken it up seriously. But while at school, I was interested in art. But the teachers wanted us to make the sunrise and the mountains in a typical way, and if I said I wanted to draw how the sunshine makes me feel, they'd say, 'who wants to know that?' So I decided to keep my stuff to myself." But on December 31, 2016, he drew something called Dream in Birth, and Basu said, "It's good. Do more."

And so, he did.

His work ranges from neon-drenched portrayals of archangels to swirlings, inspired by signs and symbols that appear to him in visions. "Abstract is mostly when there is no form to things. I asked the gallery what I could define my art as, and they said 'why would you want to'?" he says with a warm smile, that he breaks into frequently during the interview. His art is also a direct reflection of his spiritual side, and so, the conversation steers effortlessly there. He says he now knows colours and dimensions, but it's obviously his thought process that most affects his creations.

"Star Infinity is the symbol of an artist. I got it, not from space or anything. It came to me. As I was making Raphael [the archangel], I ended up drawing star infinity. I researched it, as I had never seen it. There was an explanation of the world Israel. 'Is' is the mind, 'Ra' is the body and 'El' is a symbol which refers to the divine within. I don't know why it came to me, but it's now my symbol," he says. His first sketch was a womb where the foetus is being formed. The soul hasn't entered it yet. It is at this point that Grover believes, the person is dreaming about his highest intention in life. The second was Step Into Galaxy 2, "because we are not born in this galaxy. I was born into a galaxy with two stars, and I travelled here. It sounds kind of weird, right?"

When we assure him that we are believers of the Harry Potter line "Just because it's in your head Harry, doesn't mean it's not real", he smiles, "Exactly. The universe is mental, and we are creating it as we go along."

Ever since he was a kid, Grover believed there was something more to this existence. "We can't see it because of our own limitations. But once you start seeing it, it's everywhere. It all started when I read The Alchemist. And when I was open to it, a lot of information just came to me." He also credits educators Dr Joe Dispenza and Bruce Lipton, pioneers in epigenetics, for the direction. "I was a very different person 10 years ago. You can only understand [the change] when you are privy to feeling some kind of high emotion, like love or happiness. I don't connect with the person I used to be."

For now, he is busy living his life as the luckiest man on earth, thanks to the love he shares with Basu. "I told Bipasha the other day, do you know, I have a website, and she said, 'Yes. I got it made for you.' I got so much in dahej without asking for it. She has the best of everything in her - she is sometimes sorted and practical, and at times, a child. When I talk too much of the spiritual stuff, I can see a screensaver go up on her face." He seems sorted himself - gets up at 5 am, after four hours of sleep which is preceded by daily meditation. After his workout, he works for nine hours daily, be it on a show set, or on his art. Ask him what he prefers, actor or artist and he laughs, "I have too many me-s inside me, so they take over when they have to. But, I am excited for people to see this side. Even the acting is an art. For me, it's all art. Either I am performing it, or I am creating it."

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