Ayush Sanjeev reflects on his Hindi TV debut in Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin, where he earned praise for performance over popularity.
Stepping away from his usual heroic roles, he embraced the challenge of playing a loud, unpredictable antagonist—Maruti.
Your debut show—in any language—stays close to your heart, especially when you’ve earned genuine praise. Ayush Sanjeev made his Hindi television debut in May with Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin as Maruti. The show ended on July 4, but viewers are still buzzing about his performance.
Reflecting on his journey, Ayush Sanjeev says, “Before this, I did two Marathi shows in lead roles. As the lead, you naturally get a certain kind of respect—not because of your acting, but because you’re the hero. But in this show, I earned respect purely for my performance. The day I walked onto set, no one knew my character or me. Then, after performing just one scene, people started respecting me—not because I was in the lead, but because I delivered. That, to me, was the biggest lesson: no coffee mugs or entourage matters—your performance does. Even if you come in with all the trappings, the unit will respect you only if you act well.”
After playing mostly heroic and corporate roles, Ayush chose to step into a negative character—one entirely opposite to his own personality. Ayush Sanjeev reflects, “It wasn’t about doing a Hindi show or not. I deliberately picked a character that wasn’t me. Before, I played the chocolate-boy or the corporate guy. But when this came along—a slum-born, loud, crass guy named Maruti—I was intrigued. I had to build him from scratch: his body language, his dialect—everything was different. In real life, he speaks harshly, reacts with explosive energy. For example, when he’s suddenly upset, he behaves like a child, not just angrily. I loved playing him because I can’t do that in real life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish the show could have extended longer.”
His debut show wasn’t just memorable for the character—the people he worked with left an impression too.
Ayush Sanjeev adds, “I’m still in touch with Vandana. We shared many scenes and bonded deeply. From Season 1, I also stay connected with Siddharth Bodke (Jagtap), who comes from the Marathi television space as well. When I was announced for this role, I messaged him and told him how highly people on set spoke of him. I felt proud and inspired. Now, I feel I have to reach that same benchmark.”
