"I'm very happy with my character in Amrit Manthan"

Navi who was away from for a month on a much needed vacation is still reeling under his holiday excitement. So, how did Navi get this break? "My character Agam in Amrit Manthan was shown to be going to London for vacation and also the makers of the show changed the track a bit and focused on other characters of the show."

Navi was not actually on a one month break and was back in Mumbai after just two weeks. "I was back in Mumbai on the 8^th April to re-start the shoot for Amrit Manthan. However, I was kept me on hold and was told that they will call me when they need me for the shoot. If I would have known this earlier, I would have delayed my coming back and spent more time with my family back home. I also would have done a Punjabi film for which the shoot schedule is just one month. I had couple of offers in hand and if I would have known that this break would be so long I would have easily completed one film" says Navi who has done more than 300 music videos and is a popular face as a hero in Punjabi films.

His long leave however had the gossip mills buzzing. When his break was announced many said that there are problems with the show, "I heard people talking that the show is going off-air. They also said that since I am taking a break I will am quitting the show, getting replaced… I have heard all kind of things! But why would I want to quit when I got to do so many different things in the show… there was so much of character variation. I got to try different get-ups starting from positive to negative, my character also became a lalooram in between."

Navi who has all his family, relatives and close friends in Punjab says he had a whale of a time during his holiday, "Even as my character Agam was shown as going to London in the show, in real life too I went to London for one week to meet my extended family. This was our first family outing to London and we met all our relatives and also did a lot of sight-seeing."

However, it is his time he spent in Punjab that Navi remembers the most as he says, "Rest of the days, I was at my home in Noor Mahal, near Jallandhar in Punjab. I met all my cousins and friends who I was missing. Every moment spent with them was real fun! I am a reserved guy by nature and so have very limited number of friends. My inner circle of friends comprised of only 5 -6 friends who I am very close to."

Back in Mumbai he misses quite a few things from back home, "I miss Punjab itself the most. I also miss my family, my cousins and friends. I miss the greenery because here you get to see only buildings all around. And most of all I miss the food at home. I miss the Sarson ka Saag with Makke ki Roti made by my mom. I have tried it elsewhere but I have never liked it except the one made by my mom. That is what I had the entire week that I was at home in Punjab."

Seema Khot Mattoo