Actor Taaruk Raina is well-known for his portrayal of Anmol Malhotra in Mismatched. Recently, he lent his voice to the character of Johnny Claymore in the gripping audio series Marvel Wastelanders: Doom. With his exceptional skills and talent, he has contributed to the ever-expanding Marvel universe in innovative ways, which is currently streaming on Audible.

In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, Taaruk shared his experience narrating for the record-breaking series, discussed the character Johnny Claymore and talked about juggling between different mediums and more. Excerpts:

How was your experience narrating this record-breaking series and experimenting with new forms of entertainment, such as the audio series? 

I have become more comfortable with it. I love being in a studio anyway because I make music. I really like to see what people can do in front of a mic. How much we can experiment and use different voices that we have. It used to be a matter of experimenting because earlier, when you're learning, you don't really know what you're doing and then slowly and steadily you kind of get the hang of it. I'm also a little more clued in with the understanding of what people want and what I have to do so it gets better.

Tell us about your character Johnny Claymore in Marvel Wastelanders: Doom. 

Johnny Claymore has got lot a of layers like an onion. He is a badass, but he's cute and brave, but also scared inside. He carries emotional baggage, kind of in tough circumstances. He's seen things and he wants to leave that life behind, but secretly wants to help others, which gives him purpose and drives him into reaching his full potential, alongside Valeria and Doctor Doom. What's interesting about him is that he's not your typical kind of warrior. He's as human as they come. So just the emotional graph that he has is really nice to explore. That's what I really liked.

What are the challenges that you encountered while you were voicing your character? 

It wasn't a challenge as such. Mantra (Mugdh) was constantly there, kind of helping me out in figuring out the character graph. It was fun as fun as playing any other character; you kind of discover the various aspects of him and bond it together. As long as you stay in the same realm as that person and what you do is kind of honest and true to that character. It was like the process of playing a character anywhere else. I just really liked Johnny Claymore as a character. 

You have been experimenting with all sorts of entertainment, singing, acting, and audio series. How do you manage to juggle all of that? 

I don't think it's hard to juggle all of it. It's not even juggling, actually. It's just the same form beyond any medium. I don't think it matters whether you do it on stage, do it on camera or do it on audio. I think a performer is a performer. And if you're a performer, you would enjoy any medium. I've been fortunate enough to get the chance to be a part of different things on platforms and in several mediums. I want to continue doing that and not be restricted by just one form of art or one medium of art. If I'm getting the chance, I don't know how long I will. So, life is short. Let's do all of it.

What are you planning to do next?

I have more music coming out and that will start to be a regular feature now. I think Mismatch Season 3 should come out.