“My character is the personification of greed,” says Manav Gohil from COLORS’ ‘Binddii’

No prison wall is strong enough to cage a mother’s spirit. Carrying forward its legacy of fearless and raw sagas, COLORS brings a stirring tale of love, betrayal, and resilience in its new drama Binddii. Born behind bars, Binddii’s world begins and ends with her mother Kajal, whose warmth turns a prison cell into her haven. But when fate pulls her into the outside world, she is thrown into a ruthless battle where survival is the only choice. In the heart of Mathura, Binddii discovers the bitter truth, her father Aviraj’s lies for mafia don Dayanand Chaudhury’s thirst for power shattered her mother’s life. As danger looms and enemies circle once again, Binddii must summon the courage to defy them all and fight for her mother’s freedom. Starring Radhika Muthukumar as Kajal, Saachi Bhoyar as Binddii, Krushal Ahuja as Aviraj, and Manav Gohil as Dayanand, Binddii airs every day at 8:30 pm on COLORS and JioHotstar.

Excerpts from Manav Gohil’s interview:

1. Tell us about the show.
A. Binddii is the saga of a daughter’s fight for her imprisoned mother. Born and raised inside prison walls, Binddii’s only world is Kajal, whose love turns iron bars into a haven of joy and hope. But their fragile happiness is shattered when the law forces Binddii out, leaving her unprotected and alone in a hostile world she has never known. When her uncle Saurav takes her to his home in Mathura, the past begins to resurface. She discovers that her father, Aviraj, had conned Kajal, conspiring with the ruthless mafia don Dayanand Chaudhury for money and power. Determined to right these wrongs, Binddii sets out to educate herself and one day free her mother, but the challenge is that Aviraj and Dayanand are closing in on the mother-daughter. The story rides on her inspiring journey to fight this impossible battle that is tilted in favour of the powerful.

2. What drew you to Binddii and your role in particular?
A. Dayanand Chaudhury is one of those characters who frightens you with their unpredictability. He started as a petty criminal, always scheming for shortcuts to wealth, and over the years, he’s built himself into a mafia don who wears the mask of a respectable man. And yet, for all his darkness, he has this very human layer – his love for his son. He’s whimsical, his moods keep everyone around him terrified, and he balances this strange duality of being feared in private but celebrated in public. He uses acts of kindness as stepping stones for political power. He will go to any extent to protect that spotless public image. My character is the personification of greed. That’s the thrill of playing Dayanand, you never know which side of him you’ll see next, and neither does the audience.

3. The show exposes how greed can destroy families. Do you think audiences will see shades of their surroundings in this story?
A. Absolutely. Greed isn’t only measured in money. It shows up in everyday choices where personal gain outweighs relationships. Most families have seen it in some form, whether through inheritance disputes, siblings drifting apart, or trust shattered by ambition. Binddii mirrors this reality through its characters, and I believe audiences will connect with the show because they’ve either experienced or witnessed the damage greed can cause.

4. Each character represents a side of society – nurturing, innocent and corrupt. Which side do you think has the upper hand in the real world?
A. Greed and corruption may seem powerful in the moment; we see their impact in scams, failures of systems, and unsettling headlines every day. Yet, over time, it is love, innocence, and justice that truly prevail. Families cannot thrive on greed, and societies cannot recover through corruption; they survive because of compassion, resilience, and the fight for what’s right. Binddii reflects this very pattern that while darkness may claim its victories, it is humanity and love that win the greater war. That’s why this story feels so timely and so personal.
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5. Dayanand seems like an outright evil man. How did you ensure he feels menacing yet believable?
A. The scariest kind of evil is the one that doesn’t announce itself. I wanted Dayanand to feel chilling precisely because of how ordinary and composed he appears. Real menace doesn’t always come with loud theatrics; it hides in restraint, in silence, in the ability to look you in the eye and never flinch. I focused on underplaying him, making his calm more unsettling than chaos. His danger lies in his conviction – he doesn’t second-guess, he doesn’t apologise, he doesn’t feel guilt. That quiet self-assurance is what makes him believable, and in many ways, far more terrifying than an over-the-top villain.

6. You’ve played a range of roles over your career. What makes Dayanand stand apart from the others?
A. Most of the characters I’ve portrayed had a shade of humanity – something the audience could latch on to, even if they were flawed. Dayanand is different. He doesn’t seek your sympathy, he doesn’t need validation, and he certainly doesn’t have a redemptive bone in his body. He thrives on destruction and power, and he’s absolutely comfortable in that skin. That’s what sets him apart for me as an actor; he isn’t offering the audience a chance to understand him, and that lack of compromise makes him unsettling. It’s rare to play a character who is so unapologetically dark, and that challenge was exciting.

7. What is scarier in your opinion: a villain with no remorse or one who justifies every action as ‘necessary’?
A. Without doubt, a villain who justifies every action. Because that kind of character doesn’t just harm you, he convinces you that the harm is for your own good. That’s how mafia bosses, dictators, or corrupt leaders have always held on to power: by packaging destruction as progress. They make people believe they’re building when in reality they’re only breaking. Dayanand belongs to that category; his power doesn’t come from brute force alone, but from his ability to sell a lie with conviction.

8. Dayanand thrives on corruption and control. Did you base him on any real-world figures or influences?
A. Let’s just say the world around us gives an actor plenty of raw material. I didn’t need to create Dayanand out of thin air—he’s stitched together from fragments of people we’ve all seen: politicians who bend rules, businessmen who exploit loopholes, and power brokers who manipulate systems and still manage to walk away untouched. I’ve observed them in news stories, public life, even in fleeting personal encounters. Dayanand is a patchwork of the reality we see in the news.

9. Do you see Dayanand as a mirror of real-world power brokers who manipulate the system?
A. Dayanand isn’t a figment of fiction; he’s a reflection of our society where unchecked ambition often mutates into corruption. The audience will see echoes of familiar figures in him, the kind of people we reluctantly read about in headlines but rarely confront.

10. What is your message to the viewers?
A. I want to thank the audience for the overwhelming response to Binddii. As actors, we pour ourselves into our characters, but it’s your engagement and passion that give them life beyond the screen. The love you’ve expressed tells me the story has struck a chord. Dayanand may represent everything we dislike in power, but Binddii represents the courage and innocence we need to protect. My message for the audience is: keep watching Binddii, every day at 8:30 PM only on COLORS and JioCinema. .

Witness a daughter’s warrior spirit and a mother’s love that defies all chains in ‘Binddii’; airs every day at 8.30 pm only on COLORS.