‘When someone you regard as God…’

Raghav Juyal in Bollywood’s Ba***ds

Hailing from Dehradun, a city far away from the glitz of Mumbai, Raghav Juyal has impressed critics and followers with his performances in films like ABCD 2, Kill and most recently in the web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the directorial debut of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

Raghav visited Mannat to discuss his role with Aryan in the series, which features Juyal as Parvaiz, the close friend and confidant of ambitious newcomer Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya), who tries to make his place in the glamorous yet unpredictable world of Bollywood. A mix of satire, comedy and drama, the series offers a behind-the-scenes look at Bollywood; explores friendship, ambition and the unpredictable nature of show business.

Juyal was among the many who auditioned for the coveted Netflix show backed by Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment. “I used to do auditions back then. Now I have reached a point in my life where directors approach me. I went for these auditions and then I met Aryan and Shah Rukh sir. They saw it and it was like he was the one. So I didn’t have to go through many auditions,” he told PTI. However, when he read the script, Juyal said he was a bit skeptical about the project as the character of Parvaiz was not fleshed out enough initially.

But Aryan invited him to Mannat and convinced him to join the show. Raghav added, “He said, ‘Brother, I have full faith in you. I have faith in myself. This is my favorite character. I know who you are and we will work on it together.’ This gave me confidence. ‘Let’s go,’ I said. Let’s do it.” I have been playing lead or ‘hero’ roles in my other projects, so this was different but then I played the character of Parvaiz quite convincingly, now it has become a rage. So Aryan was right.”

The Ba***ds of Bollywood presents a remarkable moment in the third episode when Juyal Parvaiz, an ardent fan of Emraan Hashmi, meets his idol. Then, unexpectedly, he performs a rendition of Hashmi’s iconic song Kaho Na Kaho from the 2004 erotic thriller Murder, blending both Hindi and Arabic lyrics. The actor said that both he and Aryan knew that the scene would be popular but were surprised by its popularity on social media. He recalled reenacting the scene in one take.

“None of it was planned. I didn’t plan to cry or tremble. I just reacted as the character would. What else can that character do when someone you see as your God stands in front of you? Especially someone like Parvaiz. I cried too. I got emotional. The character itself is emotional, but people laughed at the scene and that’s what made it special. If I hadn’t cried or trembled, it might not have turned out the same way. For the first time, Emraan sir Juyal said, “This “When he saw it, he immediately understood what was happening and went with the flow,” he said.

READ | Not Sridevi, Kajol, Vidya Balan, Shabana Azmi; This leading lady won most of the Filmfare Awards for Best Actress