Television actor Shaheer Sheikh has worked in several shows including Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, Navya…Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal, and Mahabharat, among others. Recently, the actor starred in a monsoon-special romantic song titled Iss Baarish Mein, which also features Jasmin Bhasin. In a conversation with News18.com, Shaheer shared his experience of collaborating with Jasmin for the first time. He also spoke about the challenges faced by television actors on entering Bollywood.
Shaheer shared that working with Jasmin was an ‘amazing experience from the very beginning.’ He added, “I remember, nobody had even introduced us, and that was the first time we met, I guess. From the very first shot, she was a thorough professional, and it wasn’t any problem to work with her, everything was quite smooth.” The actor talked about his perception of Jasmin and said, “Whatever I’ve seen on screen and we have some common friends, so, she is just a bubbly, fun-loving, full-of-life girl. She is always smiling and happy, and that is what I was expecting.”
As the actor has worked on the song Iss Baarish Mein, we asked him about his favourite rain time Bollywood song. Shaheer said his fav monsoon song is “Sawan Barse Tarse Dil” which features Akshay Khanna and Sonali Bendre, from the 1991 film Dahek.
Shaher is currently starring in the daily soap Woh Toh Hai Albelaa. We asked him what made him opt for the show. The actor said, “One of the main reasons was that I believe in Rajan (Rajan Shahi – TV producer) sir, and it was his show. And even if he would have asked me to do something I was not that excited about, I would have still done it. You tend to work with people who you are comfortable with. He is an amazing person and the way he had treated me on the previous show, was really nice and I felt really good, and treats me really well. So yes, izzat or pyaar do hi chizein toh chahiye hoti hain insaan ko, agar saath main thoda paisa bhi kama lein toh achha hota hai (A person needs respect and love only, and if you get to receive some money with it, nothing better than that).”
The actor performs several romantic scenes in his TV shows. The actor is married to Ruchikka Kapoor, who is also the senior vice president and creative producer of Balaji Motion Pictures Ltd. We asked him how does his wife react to such scenes. He said, “Of course, she knows that this is what I do, and this is my work. I’m sure you know how we shoot those scenes. I don’t think she has seen any, yes, initial one or two episodes, that’s it. I don’t think she has watched the episodes of my recent show.”
“I think I’ve been able to achieve a good balance between my personal life and my professional life and I think more than anything else, we are really good friends, and that’s what lets us be who we are. So, when you understand the other person and you are friends with the person, then you understand the other person’s perspective as well.”
The actor is a doting father to a cute little daughter. We asked him for a parenting tip and the actor said, “Not that I am an expert and I’m still trying to understand and figure out, but I have one basic ground rule that is every individual needs to find their own path, and I will try and give every opportunity to my daughter.”
Even though we have a handful of names for TV stars that ventured into Bollywood. The path isn’t easy for everyone, a number of stars face challenges in entering Bollywood. We asked Shaheer Sheikh, if he thinks, it is difficult for TV stars to do movies and enter the industry.
He responded saying, “We have a very large population. And most people want to be heroes, so there is a lot of competition of course. It’s not easy, for anyone, I mean, if you are saying that it is easier for people from the industry, I’ve seen so many people who are from the industry, even some big names from the industry, who were not able to make it, were not able to do much. I guess it depends on the audience, and what they are ready to accept. I think if our audience has seen somebody on the screen continuously, for years, I think it is difficult for them as well to see someone as a hero or pay for tickets for the theatre. That has been the lookout as well because there are so many TV actors who have gone to that side, and a lot of them have been successful. But yes, it is maybe a little more challenging. Acceptance has to be there. If we start accepting new faces from the TV, and watch their films, if it’s good content, give them a good opening, so things will change,” concludes Shaheer.
