Exclusive- Vivan Bathena on playing Ishaan Talvar in Raisinghani Vs Raisinghani: I wanted to keep it real, I have known people who suffered from alcoholism

The legal drama series, Raisinghani Vs Raisinghani, recently introduced a new story angle with the addition of a thrilling new character played by the charismatic Vivan Bathena. Renowned for his compelling performances across television and OTT platforms, Bathena steps into the shoes of Ishaan Talvar—a brilliant legal eagle known for winning the toughest cases.In an exclusive conversation with ETimes TV, the actor got candid about his character and his favourite scenes from the show.
Vivan on taking up the character of Ishaan
I knew a few people in the cast, I have worked with Karan and I have known him in the past. I have known a few people in the team as well. So they called me as they wanted to work with me for a very long time. We were finding something that would be mutually agreeable, I had dates at that time and they mentioned the cameo. I was not quite interested but when I read the character I came to know it was quite layered and I wanted to do it in a non-typical kind of way.
His take on adding nuances to the character
I wanted to do it in a very real way so people would be able to relate to it. I have known people who have suffered from alcoholism, I do understand the gravity of the situation. One of my staff is an alcoholic, to get him out of these problems, erratic and sporadic violence, bad manners and behaviour, I have seen these things in life and luckily I was never attracted to alcohol or any such addictions.
Vivan explains the nitty gritty of his character Ishaan
For all these things, it was very interesting, it is not something stereotypical where is a loud mouth and shows off. It is a very powerful character. He is the one with whom Anushka genuinely had a connection and fell in love. He is charming, interesting, and has all the qualities that she wants and sees in her father. He is attractive and says all the right things. But at the heart of it, he is a troubled individual, he had a failed marriage. That led to the alcohol or vice versa, those things make him a very layered character. It is very difficult to not resort to the roles we have seen in past. I have tried to keep it extremely real and relatable.

On his favourite scenes from the series
We had these very cute scenes between me and Anushka, where we meet for the first time, and flirt with each other. There were such adorable scenes that I got to do. Also, I really enjoyed doing the emotional scenes with the cast. There is a breakdown that happens with him and how he deals with and expresses it. I was trying to hold back and keep it very simple and nuanced. It is very easy to go over the top and lose your perspective. I just wanted to offer something that people haven't seen before. Let's see how it comes out, it looked good when we shot now we will see how it translates onscreen.