Sandeep Mohan, is currently seen as Vashisht in Kaamdhenu Gaumata, which is being produced by Prem Sagar and Shiv Sagar’s Sagar World Multimedia. The actor says though initially he was reluctant to take up the role, the production house’s belief in him made him accept it.

He said, “I was taken aback when Shivji first offered me the role of Vashisht in Kaamdhenu. I had played Vashisht once before in Siya Ke Ram on Star Plus, and that was an iconic part. I was reluctant to reprise it and had turned down the offer to portray Vashisht in Swastik Productions’ Srimad Ramayana on Sony. However, when Prem Sagarji called me for a meeting, he said he had envisaged this subject in 2016 with only me in mind to play Vashisht.”

“I was so touched by Premji and Shivji’s faith in me that I immediately agreed without a second thought. It helped immensely that I have a deep bond with both Premji and Shivji, and I knew that I would not be wasted in a Sagar Production,” he added.

As for preparing for the role, he shared that the first prerequisite to play a prehistoric character is to imbibe the vibration of the character. He said, “In my case, Vashisht was the epitome of purity and wisdom. To increase my saatvik quotient, I cut myself off totally from the outside world. I stayed in Laxmi Film City, Baroda, where Kaamdhenu was being shot, continuously for 100 days. I did not step out of the studio. I did not watch any films, news, or the web. I hardly talked to anyone apart from the basics. I even stopped eating regular food and survived on fruits, vegetables, and coconut water.”

“Shivji arranged for my family to visit me on New Year’s Eve, as my birthday happens to be on 1st January. All this helped me to mentally get into the divine vibrations that were the necessity of my character,” he added.

A mythological character also requires an actor to go through a physical transformation as well as get the language right, but for Sandeep the latter was not a problem. He said, “I love mouthing these lines. However, the problem with Vashisht is that he is an exceptionally elevated soul, so he does not act or react like normal human beings of today. I had to use my imagination to get into the skin of a character who is subtler than subtle.”

“As I was acting for the camera, I also had to make sure that I did not become so subtle that the audience started finding me totally aloof. The director, Rakesh Vyaasji, kept reminding me not to become so cold that the audience found it difficult to connect with my character,” he added.

He also shared that once when Premji visited the set, he told him that he was not using his expressive eyes enough. He added, “This input helped me immensely, and I think audiences will notice that Vashisht talks even when he is not speaking.”

Sandeep believes in giving it all to his characters and prefers to be left alone to toy with the character. “I try to eat and breathe like the character and try to keep distractions to the barest minimum,” he said.

“With a character like Vashisht, one has to let go of the attempt to do. The key here is to not do anything. Believe me, it is easier said than done,” he added.