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Abrar Qazi , who began his acting journey on the big screen with Laila Majnu (2018), seems to be enjoying a steady run of work on television. After Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad , he will now be seen as the male lead in Tu Hi Re Dil Mein . Speaking about what drew him to the show, he says, “What attracted me to Tu Hi Re Dil Mein, which had been in the planning for nearly seven months, is its treatment and the focus on casting and performances. The characters are not typical heroes and heroines, and with audiences evolving due to exposure to OTT platforms, the storytelling is far more grounded, with very little melodrama.”

Addressing the pressure that comes with being the face of a show, especially when success and failure are often attributed to the lead actors, he says, “I used to feel some pressure at the beginning of my career, but I eventually realised it doesn’t help. All you can do as an actor is be sincere to your work and play the character as honestly as it is written. We have no control over whether a show will work or not; that depends on the audience and, in a way, on fate. What matters is doing your job well and staying consistent, because that eventually leads to the right results. That has been my experience.”

Weighing in on the debate around actors transitioning from television to other mediums and then criticising the small screen for its working style, Abrar says, “I don’t think it’s fair to say that. The kind of work we do in television is not easy. If actors from films or OTT were to experience this kind of pressure, working long hours and meeting tight deadlines, I don’t know how long they would sustain it. There are constant challenges, whether it’s time, locations or daily episode delivery, and consistently delivering even a decent product under these conditions is commendable.”

He adds, “It’s a system built on relentless effort, with people working across shifts to keep things moving. While the format has its limitations, good work is still being done within those boundaries. You cannot expect a television show to be made like a Steven Spielberg or James Cameron film every day; those projects take years. The formats are inherently different and need to be respected. It’s incorrect to say television lacks structure. It is simply designed differently, and if someone has an issue with it, they shouldn’t be part of it.”

Highlighting what he believes is the biggest strength of the medium, he says, “Television actors are among the most prepared. Give them a script, and they will learn and perform it quickly. That level of readiness and efficiency is unmatched.”