Actor Sameer Patil, who plays Gopal Sharma in Zee TV’s Tumm Se Tumm Tak, produced by Studio LSD, recently opened up about the show completing 400 episodes. Reflecting on the milestone, Sameer said the achievement felt surreal and credited the audience for making the journey even more special.
“Honestly, it felt unreal! When shooting every day, you don’t really count the episodes. You are so involved in the story, the scenes and the character that you just keep moving forward. When I realised that we had completed 400 episodes, there was a sense of gratitude. Four hundred episodes is a long journey, and the fact that the audience has stayed with us throughout makes it even more special. I feel extremely fortunate and overwhelmed,” he shared.
Looking back at his journey on the show, Sameer revealed that receiving the Zee Kutumb Award for ‘Sabse Pyaare Pitah’ alongside his wife remains one of his most cherished memories. “There have been so many special moments, and it is difficult to pick just one. But I think receiving the Zee Kutumb Award this year for ‘Sabse Pyaare Pitah’ along with my wife on stage has to be my most special takeaway from the show,” he said.
For Sameer, staying motivated is about continuously evolving as an actor, even while portraying the same character every day. “For me, the motivation is to keep getting better and better. Even if you are playing the same character every day, you can always find something new in the way you approach an emotion, deliver a dialogue or react to a situation. I try to constantly improve in terms of my emotions, my dialogues and the overall craft, and to see if I can make a little more impact with every scene,” Sameer explained.
The actor also spoke about the bond he shares with his co-stars, particularly Sharad Kelkar and Soma. He added that his equation with Anu has naturally evolved into a father-daughter relationship on screen. “It’s been wonderful. We have spent a lot of time together, and I share a great bond with all my co-stars, but especially with Sharad and Soma. There is a lot of camaraderie and understanding between us, which naturally reflects on screen. My bond with Anu is also very special. It has almost become like a father-daughter relationship, and I think that equation has become very natural over the course of the show,” he said.
Talking about his biggest learning from television, Sameer highlighted the importance of patience and trusting the process. “The biggest learning for me has been patience. Television teaches you that you have to trust the process. You may not always get the scene exactly the way you imagined it, or things may not happen according to your expectations, but you have to stay patient and keep working. You learn to adapt, listen, observe and keep improving as an actor,” he said.
Despite the demanding schedules, Sameer believes his love for acting keeps him going. He added that he does not believe in putting too much pressure on himself when it comes to staying motivated. “I think the biggest thing is that I don’t take myself too seriously. I genuinely love doing this role in Tumm Se Tumm Tak, so I don’t feel that I need some elaborate formula to keep myself motivated. Of course, the schedules can be long and tiring, but at the end of the day, I feel blessed that I get to do something I love every single day,” Sameer concluded.
