Arjun Punj and Arohi Sharma at KC Das. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

He is Karan Kundra from Jalandhar. She is Bhopal’s Kritika Kamra. They are Arjun Punj and Arohi Sharma in Ekta Kapoor’s Kitani Mohabbat Hai, a feel-good love story on NDTV Imagine. Karan and Kritika got talking on a visit to Calcutta last week. t2 listened in…

The show…

Karan: This is my first show and I couldn’t have hoped for a better launch. Kitani Mohabbat Hai is a sweet and simple love story that has become very popular with the young audience. I get thousands of calls from female fans everyday! Arjun Punj is brooding and intense, almost like a Mills & Boon hero.

Kritika: Every morning, I pinch myself when I wake up just to remind myself that all this is true! That I am part of such a popular show and that the audience watches every breath I take and every move I make. The character of Arohi is very close to what I am in real life — both hail from middle-class families and believe in simple living and high thinking.

FACEBOOK & FASHION CLASS…

Karan: I come from a business family where no one has ventured into acting. However, I have always nurtured ambitions of making a name in the glamour world. I traced Ekta Kapoor on Facebook and sent her a friend request. To be honest, I was taken aback when she accepted it. A few days later, I got a call from her office saying that she had liked my pictures and wanted me to audition for a new show! I went and auditioned and got selected for the lead role. Yes, it was as simple as that!

Kritika: The auditions for the show were being held at my college, NIFT Delhi. Egged on by friends, I gave the auditions for a lark and was selected. My family is very academically inclined — my father is a doctor while my mother is a nutritionist. As expected, they had their misgivings initially, but gradually came around when they saw how keen I was on a career in acting. Now, every evening at 9pm, they park themselves in front of the TV to watch Kitani Mohabbat Hai.

Ekta Kapoor…

Karan: I know a lot of people who are petrified of her. But I think she is grossly misunderstood. She has always been extremely nice to me. But then again, Kitani Mohabbat Hai is her pet show, so I guess her favouritism extends to its actors too!

Kritika: Ekta has quite a reputation and honestly, I was very nervous meeting her for the first time. But I quickly realised that all my fears were unfounded. She is very helpful and accommodating. She works at a certain level and if you are able to match up to her wavelength, working with Ekta is a cakewalk.

The schedules…

Karan: We shoot 30 days a month. There have been times when I haven’t gone home for days together. The longest I have worked without a break is 55 hours! But then, this is something that I love doing. So no complaints!

Kritika: Working on television leaves one with no other life. The production team has actually become my family now.

The popularity…

Karan: Kitani Mohabbat Hai works because of the chemistry between Arjun and Arohi.

Kritika: The show works because of Karan’s female fans!

On Calcutta…

Karan: This is my first visit to Calcutta and I am really impressed by the architecture. Every building seems to have its own unique design. It’s almost as if every structure has been built to say something.

Kritika: This is my first visit to Calcutta too and I am in love with the city already!