New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS): Actor Gautam Gulati developed a strong fan base and became popular with his stint in TV reality show "Bigg Boss 8" in 2014. But after that, he was not seen much on-screen apart from movies like "Azhar" and "Behen Hogi Teri".

In a telephonic interview to IANS, Gautam, who has recently come up with the new web series "Operation Cobra", spoke about his absence from showbiz and how his low visibility has impacted his fan base.

"I agree when you are away from showbiz, it impacts your fan base. The same thing has happened with me. Less visibility reduces your craze and hype among fans. But it has nothing to do with an artiste's mind.

"It takes time to get good projects. After 'Bigg Boss', it wasn't like there was any dearth of opportunities. I got several offers but I took my time to decide what is good and bad for me."

Gautam said he chose struggle instead of getting stuck in a pool of projects.

"I got many opportunities but I knew struggle was on my way, and I chose it even after my success. I was preparing myself for good projects. I don't want to do something just for the sake of it. I analysed myself and improvised myself as an actor... So, that's why I was a little away from the limelight.

"But I didn't take any break. I hosted one show and did movies like 'Azhar' and 'Behen Hogi Teri', but my roles in those movies did not leave much impact on the audience... I don't know why. Sometimes films are edited a lot due to which some roles lose their importance," he added.

On "Operation Cobra", Gautam said that for the show, he underwent "hard training". In the show, he is playing the role of a RAW agent.

"I have worked a lot for this show. I followed strict diet and physical training for this show. Even sometimes I used to sit and write my own scenes. I used to follow a strict diet," added the "Diya Aur Baati Hum" actor.

"Operation Cobra" is live on Eros Now.