When Nikkhil Arya recently entered a 'dare to bare' party in hot pants, torn vest and boots, heads turned; hearts fluttered. But he wasn't always like this. Born and brought up in Pune, Nikkhil admits he was "a serious, no hanky panky kind of guy...the only games I played were football and basketball." After his M Com, he began helping out in the family business because "I'm a gifted marketing person and acting was never a career option." A chance meeting with designer, Hemant Trevedi, changed all that. "He told me to get my portfolio done. And, voila, there I was doing advertisements and music videos." For this committed businessman, this was a complete turnaround. "I was soon having a ball, making good money, without really doing too much..."
So involved was he with his modelling, that he turned down a role in Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Similarly, when he was offered Kesar, he refused the role. It was only when Ekta Kapoor intervened that Nikkhil agreed to give acting a shot. Now, as Rudra in Kesar and Vivan in Rabba Ishq Na Hove, his plate is overflowing.
"After doing a serial for a couple of years it becomes a question of 'expression no 44 for this shot and expression 66 for the next'," he says wryly. Hard-pressed for time, he just about manages to squeeze in his trainer. "Where's the time for flirting and girlfriends? How I miss modelling," he sighs.