"When I gave audition for this role, I did not know that I had to cut my hair. When I gave the audition and was shortlisted, they again called me for another audition. The casting person told me in the end that they have changed the brief and that I needed to go bald for this role. I was zapped but I thought it's okay because I might not even get the role since they had shortlisted some more people," said Atul.
"But in the evening itself, I got a call from them saying that I had been selected and I had to go bald. I got really upset thinking of it but since my previous show had gone off air 4-5 months ago, I was under a lot of pressure."
He shared his concern with his mom.
"I told my mom about it and she said, 'So what if you have to go bald? You are an actor, you guys have to do it. Have you not seen Aamir Khan putting on weight for 'Dangal'? Shabana Azmi went bald for a film even though she is a woman, so what's the big deal? You are a guy and it will look good on you!' So when my mom said it, I literally went into another zone and I decided to do it," said the "Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai" actor.
He loves playing the role of Jabdali in his current show.
"We have a queen called Timnasa of Kaal Lok. I am someone who is always with the queen like how Shakuni mam used to be with Duryodhan. The way Shakuni mama used to advise him, listen to his advice, praise him, similarly Timnasa is Duryodhan and I am her Shakuni mama. He is a very wise guy. So, we 3-4 villains keep on plotting and planning against Baalveer. In this planning and plotting, Timnasa is the head and he is like her shadow," he said.
( With inputs from IANS )