Himanshu Soni to essay 'Gautama Buddha' on TV show

TV actor Himanshu Soni would play prince Siddharth, who later became Lord Buddha after attaining enlightenment, in the mythological TV series 'Buddha'.
Himanshu would be introduced as Prince Siddharth on October 13th episode of the Zee TV and Spice Studio's show that is produced by industrialist BK Modi.
"I am fortunate to have got a chance to play this character. I need the love, support and blessings of my audience so that I portray my role well. I hope to meet the expectations of the audience," Himanshu said at an event here.
The actor was selected after a rigorous search for the right face to portray the on-screen Buddha.

"It was not easy to find Buddha, a person who has been the source of inspiration for millions of people. The saint was born in India and it was only here that he attained his enlightenment. Hence an Indian casting was important," Modi said.
"Himanshu has gone through rigorous training for the character which includes martial arts, tai-chi and dialogue delivery. He has learned a lot about Buddha," he added.

Modi, initially wanted to make a Hollywood movie on Buddha considering it a global subject but finally decided to make a 52 part series.
"Some years ago, I wanted to make a movie on Buddha in Hollywood for I thought it was a global subject and the technology in India would not do justice to create an impact. But when I returned here after nearly 14 years I realised that the Indian media has moved much ahead in these years," Modi said.

"Our technology is best in the world. We have adopted High Definition and special effect. Our people are well trained. Seeing this I was convinced I would produce a global level project in India," he added.
The show that began to air from September 8, is set to take a romantic turn with the introduction of Siddharth and Yosodhara, who is played by Kajal Jain, who was top ten finalist of 2010 Miss India.
'Buddha' is also being shown on Doordarshan.