Twenty years in the Indian television industry. Dozens of mythological and historical roles. Characters ranging from the divine to the dangerous. And yet, if you ask Tarun Khanna how he prepares for a role, his answer is disarmingly simple.
He follows his heart.
The actor, who has become one of Hindi television’s most recognisable faces in the mythological genre — known for shows like Karm Phal Data Shani, Radha Krishna, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki, Devi Adi Parashakti, Katha Vishwas Ke Itihaas Ki, Santoshi Maa, and Param Avtar Shri Krishna — recently opened up about his craft, his influences, and the process behind the performances that have kept audiences hooked across channels and decades.
Most recently, he has stepped into the role of Mahadev in &TV’s upcoming divine dramedy Hey Bhagwaan — Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan, set against the spiritual backdrop of Ujjain — describing it as “an immensely exciting and creatively fulfilling experience.” But before we get there, let us talk about the philosophy that has kept him going all this time. Adgully
No Formula. No Fixed Method. Just Feeling.
In an industry where acting coaches, method techniques, and structured workshops are increasingly common, Tarun Khanna is refreshingly old school — in the best possible way.
“There is no single method to achieve a character,” he says. “While I may incorporate different techniques, the most important thing for me is to follow my heart. If I feel deeply connected to the character, only then can I portray it convincingly.”
For him, that emotional connection is not just the starting point — it is the whole process. And when the connection is strong enough, everything else follows. The physicality changes. The voice shifts. Even the way a character walks becomes something he works on and refines through consistent practice.
What is perhaps most interesting is the exercise he swears by — one that most people would consider casual entertainment rather than professional training. Mimicry.
“Mimicking people, in fact, is a great exercise that helps me a lot,” he says. And when you think about it, it makes complete sense. To mimic someone convincingly, you have to study them — their rhythm, their habits, their energy. It is character work in disguise.
He Built His Own Method
Tarun has clearly read the textbooks. He knows the theories. But he made a deliberate choice not to let any single system define how he works.
“I’ve read about various methods, but I don’t strictly follow anyone else’s approach,” he explains. “I’ve developed my own process, which is all about understanding and feeling the character — his background, education, personality, and relationships. Whether he is aggressive or submissive, and how he interacts with others — these details help me shape the role.”
This is actually a more sophisticated approach than it might sound at first. The actors who get truly lost inside a character are rarely the ones following a rigid system. They are the ones who have done the quiet internal work — understanding who this person is at their core before a single line is delivered on screen.
For someone like Tarun, who regularly inhabits larger-than-life mythological figures, that kind of inside-out approach is not just useful. It is essential. You cannot play Mahadev or Lord Shiva by hitting marks and saying lines. The character has to live somewhere real in you first.
The Legends Who Lit The Way
While Tarun has built his own acting language, he is quick to acknowledge the masters who inspired the foundation beneath it.
The names he drops are telling — Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Ashutosh Rana, Dilip Kumar, Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, and Manoj Bajpayee. Look at that list carefully. What they all share is an almost frightening level of internal truth in their performances. These are not actors who perform emotion — they actors who generate it from somewhere deeply genuine, and it shows on screen.
It makes perfect sense that these are Tarun’s north stars. His own approach — heart-first, character-deep, physically adaptive — echoes exactly what made each of those legends so compelling to watch.
Two Decades In, And Acting Has Become Instinct
Perhaps the most revealing thing Tarun said in the entire conversation was this: after more than twenty years in the industry, he no longer has to consciously analyse what a role needs.
“Now, when I read a script, I instinctively understand what the role demands,” he says.
That is what two decades of consistent work does. The craft becomes muscle memory. You stop thinking about the how and start simply doing. The technique disappears into the background and what the audience sees is just — a person, real and alive on screen.
His latest character, a version of Mahadev described as “ruggedly charming, warm, and quietly observant — often amused, and at times gently baffled by the absurdities of human behaviour,” sounds like exactly the kind of nuanced role where Tarun’s heart-first method will be right at home. Adgully
Why Tarun Khanna Deserves More Attention Than He Gets
Here is the honest truth. Indian television has no shortage of actors who fill mythological roles competently — hitting their marks, delivering their lines, wearing their costumes. But the ones who make you genuinely feel the weight of a character, who make a divine figure feel human or a historical figure feel present — those actors are rarer.
Tarun Khanna is one of them. And listening to him talk about his craft, it is clear that the results on screen are no accident. They are the product of a man who has spent twenty years quietly, consistently doing the work — building a method that is entirely his own, learning from the greatest actors India has produced, and never once reducing performance to a formula.
That, more than any specific technique, is probably the real secret.
