Script more important than money for Kiran Karmarkar

Actor Kiran Karmarkar, who has been a part of the entertainment industry for over two decades, believes an actor should chase good scripts rather than money to improve his or her credibility in showbiz.

"Money comes after script for me. When I get calls for new shows, I give more preference to the story. If it doesn't sound interesting to me, I don't take up that show. Even if they offer good amount to work. I feel it enhances your credibility as an actor," Kiran, best known for his roles in shows like "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii", "Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan", "Uttaran" and "Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan", told IANS.

While he has been a popular name on television, Kiran has also made his presence felt on the silver screen through his performances in various Marathi and Hindi films like "Raajneeti", "Pankh", "Chakravyuh" and "Shanghai".

However, the actor feels working on TV requires more hard work than films.

"Television takes a test of your abilities and strengths. It's not easy to work on TV as compared to films. In films, we have to play a character for a limited time. Also, there is a limited shooting schedule whereas television requires more time," he said.

"Sometimes we have to shoot for a daily soap continuously without any break for weeks or even months. Films have a proper shooting schedule, but in TV we are required almost every time," he added.

Kiran will next be seen in the forthcoming TV show "Tamanna", which will be aired on Star Plus starting February 1.

"I've been working on television since the late 1980s, but when I heard the script of 'Tamanna', I saw some uniqueness in it. The story is the reason why I took this show.

"I'm playing the role of Deepak Solanki, who lives in a village near Jamnagar, Gujarat. His daughter wishes to be a cricketer. So he supports her to be a cricketer. While I was doing outdoor shooting for 'Tamanna', I spent 40 days in a room in Ahmedabad. I didn't get time to go around the city after shooting hours."

Asked which characters he likes to play -- negative or positive --, Kiran said: "People like to watch me in positive avatar like Om in 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii'. But, when I did negative roles like the one in 'Uttaran', then also they appreciated my work.

"More than the character, the story of the show should attract me. There should be some uniqueness in it. I didn't see 'Uttaran' story as a unique one. But my character looked strong. So I did the show for about a year and left it.