By Shweta Sharma
New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) Actor Kiran Kumar may be an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), but he does not believe in the concept of acting schools. “No school can make you an actor, they can only guide you and help you with the basics,” Kiran said. The star, known for his powerful portrayals of villains and characters with shades of grey, was in the capital for the launch of a new television serial, “Grahasti”, for STAR Plus.

He likes to work in a comfortable environment. “If comfort was not a criteria, I would have done anything,” said Kiran, who is playing an ideal son, husband and a father in the weekly series.

Son of Bollywood’s well-known villain of his time Jivan, Kiran started his career with films and played negative roles. Some of his films included “Bol Radha Bol”, “Hero Hiralal”, Tezaab and “Khuda Gawah”. He says of all his movies, “Tezaab”, starring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, has been closest to him.

He is a modest man, who gives himself five on a scale of 10. He gives full credit to the media, who has nurtured his talent throughout his career.

“Media and actors go together. They cannot live without each other. The day the media stops writing about us, we are dead,” Kumar said.

Commenting on the television industry, he said it was a fast growing parallel medium to the film industry.

The seasoned actor does not believe in following a particular set of rules, and is a firm believer in instincts. He said: “I shoot for 20-25 days in a month, and will not take up any project till one is complete.”

Asked him about his upcoming film projects, he said he is working with directors like Priyadarshan and Deepak Shivdasani in “Junoon” and “Mr. Black, Mr. White” respectively.

He is open to all kind of roles. “After a certain period, money and fame cease to be of much significance.”

The actor, who has quite a few television serials like “Prem Kishan”, “Zindagi”, “Ghutan”, “Sahil”, “Manzil”, “Katha Sagar” and “Aur Phir Ek Din” to his credit, has been offered a reality show as well.

He says he might do it if time permits.

Kiran is also planning to produce serials for Doordarshan under his production house Aashiana because he wants to bring back serials like “Buniyaad” on small screen.