After the taut action-packed thriller Special Ops, Karan Tacker puts his feet up and travels king-size as he hosts an eight-episode series, Luxe Pins, on Zee Zest (airing Sunday, 8pm), soaking in luxury experiences in destinations across India, driving in a posh NEXA XL6, as he travels through a world of opulence, where every step is manicured, every room is regal and every meal conjured by a master chef.

When the offer came to you for Luxe Pins did you take it as a licence to travel after two years of confinement?

Yes, we had been indoors for such a long time so this chance to travel was quite welcome. I jumped at the offer when it came.

How many destinations have you planned for?

Eight destinations for eight episodes. I am in Pune now, shooting one episode. The Bangalore, Goa, Rishikesh and Jaipur episodes are shot. We have Nasik and Kashmir left.

One never needs an excuse to visit Kashmir.

Yeah. This will be my second trip to Kashmir and I’m really looking forward to it.

You said you’re in Pune now. So what are you exploring there?

Today, we are visiting a golf club. It’s a massive 100-acre place where I learnt to play golf a bit. Tomorrow I will go for an ayurvedic rejuvenating experience.

Goa is like a weekend getaway for Bombay residents. What did you discover anew there?

I have been visiting Goa since I was 16 and I must have been there 20-25 times already. But I have never been to the heritage side of Goa. I was put up in a heritage hotel called Fort Tiracol, which used to be a fort. We know Goa has Portuguese history. This is a 19th century fort right on the sea with very old architecture. We experienced feni, the heritage drink of Goa. It was interesting to find out how it all started. I had to do a lot of sipping and tasting.

What about the table in the water? Did you have a floating meal?

Yeah, so they’ve got this pool experience in Goa where the feni experience happened. They have this lovely pond which is like a backwater from a river. They have a whole set-up in the water. They put up a table, serve feni and a little meal. It’s cute to have a meal with your feet dipped in the water.

How much of the show is scripted?

The show is not scripted at all. The whole idea of having me on board is to have a personal experience. I went there, experienced it and talked about it.

So you got to travel and shoot without having lines to learn?

(Laughs) It’s always a delight when you don’t have to learn lines. But quite frankly, you also have to use your own mind to take in all the information and then make sure what you say sounds like an experience that you had and add your emotion to it. That was way more taxing than learning lines.

You posted a couple of beautiful pictures from Rishikesh.

Rishikesh is so picturesque that anywhere you hold a camera it looks amazing. The Ganga is so majestic. We were shooting along the banks and we went for a trek. We were in every city for just two days, so it was a tight schedule. I also had yoga sessions on the bank.

You went for polo in Jaipur, right? Did you play?

No. My only experience of riding was as a child on ponies in Lonavla and Mahabaleswar. This was a totally different experience. These are massive six-seven foot horses that can bang into each other. They are trained in a certain fashion for just one person to ride them. It is quite scary to ride these horses. I got the most docile horse. I watched a game and played a little bit. Having said that, it was a nice experience to find out how to play polo. You can’t become a player in just a few hours. It takes quite a while to be able to play riding on a horse.

What else did you do in Jaipur?

I had been to Jaipur before. It is such a picturesque city. We went for a blue pottery training session. I got my hands nice and dirty in painting a tile in their fashion. I did all the mason’s work. From the raw clay, I made my own tile and painted it; quite therapeutic it was.

Did you bring it back as a souvenir?

Of course, my own blue pottery tile.

And what about the Bangalore episode?

We went to a beautiful ranch — a vineyard that gave the vibe of being in the city but still away from it. We camped overnight in a tent. Many people want to camp but do not know how to go about it or where to get a tent from. The best part about glamping is there are these camping sites where beautiful luxury tents are already set up. All you have to do is experience life in a tent. We had a lovely band that played through the evening. I also got singing with them.

I suppose you did not have to cook in a luxury tent. But are you much of a cook?

Yes, I do a great grilled fish, I make amazing chicken chuktori. I enjoy my time at the bar making cocktails. I make a great whisky sour.

Does the show have a luxury element? Are you living it up?

Correct. The name Luxe Pins comes from luxury pin codes.

Do you prefer solo travel or do you always try to get family or friends along on vacations?

I love traveling with people. I’m constantly traveling alone on work and tend to get isolated. So I like to travel with company, so maybe my partner or my parents.

What is your favourite destination if you have a two-week break?

It depends on the season. But usually I love going to Goa. It is very close to Bombay. If any work comes up, you can come back quickly. Plus it has great food, it has great outdoors, great beaches. I love taking a dip in the ocean. If not Goa, then I love being in England if I have two weeks off. I have friends in London, so I make a pitstop there and then move around. Sometimes I take a car and drive around the country.

Coming to your career, what would be the bigger turning point, Love Ne Mila Di Jodi (on Star One) or (web series) Special Ops?

In your life, there are so many points that kick off your career. I definitely like Love Ne Mila Di Jodi as that kicked off my career as an actor. With Special Ops, people started looking at me in a different light, so I will be biased towards Special Ops as the bigger turning point.

Karan Tacker in Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hain, his last appearance in a daily soap

We haven’t seen you in daily soaps in quite a while. Is that a conscious decision?

Yes, it is. The reason is the industry itself which looks at actors from television in a certain way. It is felt that they are overexposed. So you have to take a break to do things that are more creatively inclined. To make a bigger leap, you have to let go of a few things. My last TV serial, Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai on Star Plus, came perhaps seven-eight years ago.

Was it getting too crowded with Karans? It must be the most common name among lead actors on TV.

Karan Wahi, Karan Kundra, Karan Singh Grover, Karanveer Mehra… they are all friends. Every actor has his individuality and there is enough space for us to coexist. No, that was never the reason.

Not many people would know that you started out on the big screen, in Shah Rukh Khan’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Yes (laughs). I was there for a brief moment.

Did the producers of Love Ne Mila Di Jodi like the film so much that they took both a cast member and rhymed the serial’s name with it?

(Laughs out loud) I am pretty sure they had no idea I was part of that film at all.

You have lent your voice for Droh as assistant inspector Samrat Singh.

Yes. That is for Spotify. It’s a podcast. It’s something new I have dabbled in.