He is the tall, strapping, good-looking Punjabi guy from Delhi who created a flutter when he won the coveted Mr India title in 1996. Cut to 2017: he is a recognised television star and a corporate grooming expert. For Sachin Khurana, work spells sheer manna, as he goes about his hectic schedule every day.
“I play Anand, the progressive thinker, the uncle of the main lead in the serial Un Dino Ki Kahani,” says Sachin with a smile, as we chat on the sets of his latest show that kicked off on air recently. It is an urban middle-class setting in Ahmedabad in the 90s when social media was still in its nascent stages. “It’s a key role as it brings the main characters together and also adds a touch of open-mindedness to the proceedings in the serial,” he says.
Khurana has made his mark through several serials earlier, including Avinash IPS, Salaam Zindagi, Aapki Antara, Chandramukhi, Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar… His repertoire brings in his stalwart ramp presence in over 500 fashion shows on domestic and foreign turf, more than 200 advertisements, and a clutch of silver screen specials in Dasvidaniya, Ankur Arora Murder Case, Unforgettable and Pyaar Mein Twist. But spinning off his rather magnetic presence, Sachin has also been taking sessions in corporate grooming. He recently shot a series of videos to train the multiplex personnel at PVR. “I played out the demeanour to be employed when say the projector whimpers, or someone misplaces a bag, or a person is sozzled… there are genteel, firm ways of handling such situations adroitly. So, soft skills go well beyond simply dining etiquette and time management,” he asserts, and adds with a laugh, “These days, more importantly, you need to know what not to wear to work!”
Shilpi Madan for Sunday Herald