SHARAD MALHOTRA(NSI News Source Info) August 2, 2008: A HEALTHY WAR WAS ON BETWEEN ME AND SMRITI (IRANI)....Sharad Malhotra has the unconventional handsome looks, which can make any girl go weak in the knees, but that’s not all there is to this good looking actor.
Today, he is one of the most popular faces on the small screen, who has just been a part of the popular reality show Yeh Hai Jalwa. No wonder then that rumours of him dating his co-star (Divyanka Tripathi) are igniting again. I meet him on the sets of his show Dulhann… and thoroughly enjoy the conversation over a hot cup of coffee with both Sharad and Divyanka.
As much as I’d like to say that she’s there keeping him company, it’s not entirely true. Divyanka gives us both company in between her shots and being the thoughtful and friendly person she is, she doesn’t give us a difficult time at all. Agreeably Sharad has already earned the well-deserved adulation for being a fine actor. But after his stint on the dance reality show Yeh Hai Jalwa, he has also certified that hard work and dedication can indeed lead you to the path of success.
Even though Sharad was a non-dancer, he managed to reach quite far in the show before his ouster. “Well, look at the good side of it,” he says. “I learnt how to dance and came pretty far,” he smiles while Divyanka looks on. So what was his first tryst with reality TV like? “I think it was simply great because it was much more than reality. When I say reality I mean that it’s harsh and pleasant at the same time.
I feel we get to see both the aspects of a so-called reality show. There are times when you’re upset with the way you are treated on the show. It could be the fans treating you in a certain way; it could be the judges or even the anchor. It could hurt at times especially when one doesn’t get the credit even though one is working one’s ass off for it. Only gradually did I understand that all this criticism was for the betterment of the team because we are in a competition at the end of the day and we have to strive to win,” he says convincingly.
There had been a certain kind of cold war between Smriti Irani, the anchor of Yeh Hai Jalwa and him. How did he deal with that? With a brief pause, Sharad reveals, “I’ll tell you what; Smriti kept on telling me for quite a few weeks that I needed to improve and that was certainly discouraging because we were practicing for hours. Predominantly, people like us who are doing daily soaps work from nine in the morning to eleven in the night and then practice throughout the night, which is absolutely killing. But the week before I was eliminated, I realized that Smriti said all this for my good. She, being a senior in the industry, knows a lot more than I do and has experienced much more than I have.
She knows how things work and that one must go all out to get what one wants. I also felt that her expectations from me were very high because both of us have been a part of the number one show. I feel really proud to say this that she has been a part of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which was number one at one point and I am part of Banoo Main Teri Dulhann, which is the number one at present. And we both have tasted our bit of success. So I presume there was a very healthy war which was on between me and Smriti; I wouldn’t say a cold war even though initially I thought it was so. And I even told her that I felt so, but later on I understood it was for my betterment and I left the show by thanking her with a hug for whatever she enlightened us with.
”We usually see a lot of rivalry between contestants in reality shows. Bearing in mind that this was his first experience in a reality show, did he face any of this? “I think we hardly had the time to sit down and gossip because we were there for just one day. There was no one in particular that I didn’t get along with. Towards the end, Hussain was very sweet to me and so was Shweta Tiwari. Rakhi Sawant surprised me because she was very warm and caring as opposed to the image she carries.
All of them including Ronit (Roy), Rohit (Roy) and Varun (Badola) were very nice. But the one person who I found extremely genuine was Sakshi Tanwar. She has a gorgeous smile and a lovely heart. She was one of the few people there who I knew would definitely say the truth and not be a fake.”
There has always been a huge question mark on the authenticity of reality shows. Does he believe in them now? “Honestly, this was my first and last reality show. Not because it was rigged or something but purely because there is too much mental pressure. You are always expected to perform the best. I have personally never felt that these shows are rigged. But there were times when they told me I had less votes and that’s when I used to feel that this cannot happen, basically because I know my fans love me a lot. The only time I would believe them was when someone like Ronit Roy would get higher votes than me as I know he is more popular. But somebody else getting higher votes was very difficult for me to digest because I know how much my fans would vote for me.” Maybe that’s why Sharad feels he deserved to stay on the show longer than the others.
“Yes, I do feel so,” he adds. “Personally, I believed I was getting there and my team was improving. We were just beginning to pump hard and put in our best but we were eliminated. I got out in the ninth round out of the thirteen rounds, which means we were almost there. However, it was a wonderful experience and we really had a blast.”So who does he hold responsible for this ouster?
“I don’t think I would blame anyone for this. I know the expectations were very high but after performing so well in the jugalbandi round, it was very shocking to hear that I was out based on those votes. My entire team performed very well that day; they lit up a fire on stage and for a change, Smriti loved it too, so I was quite taken aback when they told us we were eliminated. It was something I couldn’t digest. And I still can’t figure out the reason for that. I guess they had their reasons and it’s just a game.”
Throughout his stint in Yeh Hai Jalwa, Divyanka was his strongest support. She stood by him at every step; something that we’d expect from a wife or a girlfriend. The rumour mills have started doing the rounds again about their relationship. So what is the correct status? Sharad shrugs off the hearsay. “I am quite used to these rumours by now and am sick and tired of them also.
The point is I have never denied the fact that we get along really well and I have known her for five years, which is quite a long time. We have worked together for hours for the past one-and-a-half years so one is bound to get along well with the other. But as far as the boyfriend-girlfriend quotient goes, I think we are too busy with our careers to be involved. Frankly, right now, we both believe in a very healthy friendship. And about her constant support for me during …Jalwa, I feel it was very sweet of her and now I know that she is one person I can always bank upon. There were other people from my show who came to support me but her support was definitely there right through,” he says, looking at her. I tell him that just a few days back, they were spotted together at a shopping mall, getting rather cozy with one another. Sharad doesn’t deny the incident.
“We happened to pack up early and I don’t think there is anything wrong in going out with probably one of your best friends. My parents are very broad-minded and chilled out as long as I know my limits, which I do. They have that much of faith in me that I would not let them down and there is nothing wrong in a girl and a guy hanging out and having fun.”A while back, Sharad had told Showtime that he wouldn’t date anyone from the industry. But now, he seems to have changed his stance a bit. “Now, with a few exceptions around, I wouldn’t mind,” he laughs. Then, he quickly adds, “If you’re thinking about Divyanka, then please forget it. I do have a lot of other friends in this industry who I am pretty friendly with. But even today I would prefer someone who’s not from the industry.”
He’s been single for a long time now. Hasn’t he ever fallen in love? Pat comes the reply, “I don’t have the time at the moment. I am about to be in love with Divya (Divyanka’s on-screen character) but off-screen, I don’t have the time because I am too busy with my work.”But surely there must be some women in his sphere of work that he finds hot?
“Divyanka is definitely gorgeous and the second one would be Niki Aneja. I used to really like Niki at one point of time. She was very cute.” Who’s the girl he’d like to ask out? “Well, Niki is a mom now so I guess I am left only with Divyanka, which is very sad for me but it’s okay,” he says. Steering back to his career, in an age of women-dominated soaps, doesn’t he think he is getting lost by being just a support factor and not the main protagonist?
“I wouldn’t mind being the support factor if the main protagonist is so very good,” he says pointing out to Divyanka. “I think she has done a wonderful job and has carried the show really well. I didn’t expect her to do so well; she has improved a lot with time. And I have no regrets at all being a part of such a great show with such a great protagonist. There is no disappointment and I am also very lucky that I have been able to play three different shades of characters in the show. Very few actors actually get to do that.”
It’s often been noticed that in television, it’s much easier for a girl to get a break because most of the serials are women-oriented. The guys generally don’t get their due. But Sharad isn’t bothered about that.
“I cannot talk about anybody else but I have got my due. I have got much more than I expected. I walked into the industry when I had nothing at all and now I have people who love me. It feels great to have people crazy after you. So I think it’s fabulous in spite of being a women-dominated industry. The daily shows are ruled by women and it’s absolutely fine because they are watched by the housewives and women staying at home. And the shows have to be made for them.”
Like in films, there is a lot of exploitation in the television industry as well. Has he ever experienced that? “Definitely, there is a lot of exploitation when you’re new. I can vouch for that because it happened with me and my co-actor Divyanka. We were asked to work for hours at a stretch and were paid peanuts. It was crazy absolutely. But now we have changed a lot thanks to the people who have exploited us. We have learnt and grown a lot with time so it is quite hard to take us for a ride now. I think most of the new people who enter the industry get exploited. It’s not the industry’s fault; it’s the people in the industry who do that.”
Most actors on television feel exhausted after a point in time. Has he reached that stage as yet? “Exhaustion?” he asks looking rather surprised and then adds in the same breath, “I think I have passed the stage of exhaustion by now and I am quite used to the working hours. It’s all good.”
Does he really believe being a part of soaps satisfies one’s creative instincts? Or does he want more? “Creativity actually totally differs from person to person. A couple of people on our show believe in being very creative, which at times, is not welcome by the other party because it’s a daily show. And it doesn’t satisfy our creative instincts as much as we want it to. The reason could be the time factor and at times it can be very irritating and frustrating as you want to give in so much. It just doesn’t satisfy me because I can’t do as much as I want. There have been times when the producer calls me and tells me that I don’t need to improvise but I am the kind of actor who can’t just do lines, so for me it gets difficult at times.”
For now, the picture seems rosy for Sharad but he’s already planning his next moves. “I’d like to do something that is really creative; something that really makes me think and something that has to do only with acting. I used to be a sportsman but I had to quit that and now I can’t think of anything other than acting. I was thinking of getting into cinematography or direction but I don’t know if that will work out. Basically, at the end of the day, I just want to entertain people. So let’s see how it goes.” The ride has been smooth so far, so Sharad has little to worry about.
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