“The only label I like is 'Artist'”: Paresh Pahuja on identity and creation | Exclusive

For an entire generation raised on glossy romance, sweeping emotional drama and unforgettable title tracks, Dharma Productions occupies a uniquely nostalgic emotional space.

So when Paresh Pahuja landed Nazdeekiyan, the experience felt deeply personal. Calling it one of the most beautiful scripts he has read, Pahuja admitted that being seen as a “Dharma leading man” carries a strange emotional weight for someone who grew up consuming the studio’s cinema. “Every time I hear the phrase Dharma hero or Dharma leading man, I can hear the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai tune in my head,” he says with a laugh. For the actor, the connection goes beyond professional achievement.

It is tied to memory, nostalgia and the emotional language of the films he grew up with. “I have a very strong emotional association with Dharma,” he says. “And I would love to continue working with them.” At the same time, Pahuja remains cautious about labels. Even as his career increasingly shifts toward leading-man territory, he insists the only identity he truly wants attached to himself is far broader. “The only label I really like is being called an artist,” he explains. “I could be a painter tomorrow, a writer, anything. I just like creating.” That fluidity perhaps defines his career best right now, someone moving freely between acting, music, performance and storytelling without feeling the need to belong entirely to one category.