Manoj Chandila, who plays the troubled Lalit in Prateek Sharma and Parth Shah’s Oh Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera, produced under their banner Studio LSD, shared that Lalit is becoming increasingly frustrated as Aparajita begins to challenge him directly. He added that playing such a layered character gives him the chance to explore new shades as an actor and keep evolving the role.
He said, “Lalit right now is furious and frustrated since Aparajita has finally started confronting him head-on. He’s desperately trying to get her to Bhopal but fails every time, and because he’s a troubled child, he can’t tell right from wrong and takes everything personally, which makes his problem even worse.
For him, playing such a complex character has become a valuable part of his growth as an actor. He said, “I as an actor get to explore and experiment with the psychology of a person like Lalit, which ultimately adds to my professional skills and repertoire. Every day is a chance for me to renew yesterday; that excites me the most. I time to time add notes and references to my portrayal of Lalit.”
Talking about what makes the show resonate with audiences, he pointed to its central conflict and the strength of its cast. He said, “The show stands out because of the plot and contrast of two families. ” The show tells women’s tales in deep, abusive marriages in a way that touches the pulse of viewers where it must be touched. Also, we’ve got a dedicated set of actors and directors. Shabbir and Sriti are one beautiful combo we can’t neglect. So yes, we’ve got quite enough to be hooked onto as a half-hour entertainer.”
Reflecting on what keeps him committed to giving his best on screen regardless of how the numbers look, Manoj drew on an unexpected reference. He said, “The violinists in Titanic didn’t give up until the last minute even after knowing the ship was going to sink and they were going to die. The scene tells you to do what ought to be done even in adverse events. Yes, it’s difficult, I agree, but you cannot stop giving your best irrespective of the numbers. It would be cheating for me if I acted otherwise.”
Asked about the popular on-screen pairing on the show, he didn’t hesitate in his praise. He said, “C’mon, they make a great pair; secondly, they bring a lot on screen as characters too. They’re happy faces, and happiness is exactly what the audience gets when they watch them together, I guess.”
Manoj also spoke about the kind of reactions his portrayal of Lalit has been drawing online and how he chooses to read into it. He said, “I’m getting abused online for playing Lalit, but that’s a compliment for the actor in me.” This feedback gives me confidence to experiment more in a newer way, so yeah! Woh villain hee kis baat ka jo audience ko gussa na dila sake.”
On the future of television as a medium, he remained optimistic, even as the OTT space continues to grow. He said, “I feel TV has a loyal audience and will remain so in the coming times.” Like OTT TV is adapting too.”
Speaking about his process of staying true to Lalit’s core while still letting him evolve through the story, he explained his approach. He said, “I don’t let the baseline emotion of the character slip away unless the character’s personality changes completely, and then I adapt, challenging but doable.”
He signed off with a promise to the audience about what lies ahead in the show. “Oh! There’s lot of heavy duty drama coming up, I’ll only request the viewers to keep sticking to our show the way they’ve been. We promise not to disappoint,” Manoj ended.
