Janmashtami special | Rajniesh Duggal on playing Lord Krishna: My bond with my isht dev has deepened
After playing Krishna in the TV show Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran, the actor says he started getting deeper in the spiritual world and understanding the deity more
Actor Rajniesh Duggal’s connection with Lord Krishna goes beyond playing the deity on the small screen. After playing Krishna in the TV show Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran (2018-19), the actor says he started getting deeper in the spiritual world and understanding the deity more.
“I am lucky that I got to play him on television, Lord Ram in theatrical play Ram Leela which had (actor) Ajay Devgn as narrator now I desire to play Lord Shiva, someday. During the weekly show, that continued for a year, there was a lot of evolution and knowledge that engulfs your mind. You discover and absorb so much and unknowingly it teaches you a lot. My bond with my isht dev deepened,” says Duggal.
The actor shares the reason behind taking up the role, “I took up the role for my parents. At that time, they had shifted to Vrindavan, and this was my bheth (gift) to them. The best part is that I was able to make them happy, but the sad part is by the time it got on air my father passed away. But he had seen me in Krishna avatar in a few behind the scenes videos and was extremely happy about it.”
On his biggest experience in life, he recalls, “When he passed away, we did the last rites on the banks of the Yamuna River and in morning when we reached for asthi visarjan the river water had increased, and everything was submerged. I felt sad but the saints were smiling. I was told this is rare and Yamunaji unko saath le gai aur ab who humesha ke liye Vrindavan ke ho gaye. Truly, I still feel his presence there.”
Duggal says he still gets fan mails. “People from different parts of world send me messages and mail about the show enquiring if we are getting a new season. Every Janmashtami, people post pictures from the show tagging me. It’s just a blessing that I was able to do this. As my mother resides in Vrindavan and it’s always on my go-to list and I get to visit the divine place frequently,” says Duggal.
