Actor Gossips: I spend Rs 25,000 per month on my hair

'Being a TV actor is an expensive job.'

Photograph: Kind courtesy Dheeraj Dhoopar/Instagram

Television actor Dheeraj Dhoopar has been winning hearts with his Casanova character Karan Luthra in Zee TV's popular show, Kundali Bhagya.

And his hairstyle has become quite the rage too!

But as he tells Rediff.com Contributor Rajul Hegde, living the life of a television star can be expensive.

"It requires a lot of effort to sit like this in front of the camera," he says with a smile, even though he makes it look so simple.

Your hair in Kundali Bhagya has become very popular. What goes into creating such a look?

So you are telling me that I am admired for my hairdo rather than my acting skills! (smiles).

Well, I like the fact that I am becoming popular because of my hairdo in the show, but it takes a lot of effort.

You have to get the right hairstylist, a suitable haircut and quality hair products.

There's a misconception that you should not wash your hair daily.

In a city like Mumbai, the pollution sticks to your hair. So I wash my hair daily.

I don't use conditioner because it makes my hair sticky.

When I reach the sets, I blow dry my hair, use mousse, an anti-thermal product, which protects the hair from ironing, and a hair straighter. I use hairspray as well.

Since I have thick hair, this hairstyle gets difficult for me. So I have to use a lot of products to make it stand like this.

IMAGE: Dheeraj Dhoopar in Kundali Bhagya.

How much money do you spend in a month on your hair?

Dubai and Bangkok have great hair products, and I always buy them when I travel overseas.

I spend about Rs 25,000 per month, which includes my haircut, styling and hair products.

Whose hairstyle are you inspired from?

Frankly, this is my own style. I have not been inspired to get this look.

My fans say my hair is similar to Dev Anand, Vijay Anand, Johnny Bravo, and Elvis Presley.

I am happy to receive such compliments.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Dheeraj Dhoopar/Instagram

You are a certified fashion designer. How did acting happen?

I didn't do fashion designing because I was interested in it.

I did it because I won a modeling contest and that was a prize.

The main reason for taking up fashion designing was that when I went to class, I realized I was the only boy amongst all the beautiful girls.

I thought it was a good opportunity to get all the female attention.

But gradually, I got interested in fashion designing, especially men's styling.

In fact, I used to style my co-actors in my earlier shows for their events and appearances.

I joined an airline as a cabin crew to travel the world and get exposure.

I have traveled a lot. Name a city, and I have been there.

But I always wanted to be in front of the camera, so I started doing modeling, part-time.

Then, I moved to Mumbai and took it up full time.

I wanted to become a ramp model, but could not because of my height.

I found my space in TV commercials and print ads.

I have done 120 TV commercials for various brands.

One day, my mother saw the soap Kumkum, and she thought I looked like the lead, Hussain (Kuwajerwala). He's a friend now (smiles).

She pushed me to become a TV actor, saying I had the right looks.

So I started auditioning for shows and got my first with Maat Pitaah Ke Charnon Mein Swarg.

After that, there was no looking back.



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