Shaheer Sheikh, who became a household name as Anant in the college love story 'Navya', has come back as Arjun in the Tewary Brothers’ Mahabharat.
“I was not sure initially… I didn’t know if I could play the part of Arjun convincingly but I took it as a challenge. Every day is a learning experience. Our producer, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, had faith in me,” says Shaheer about his “epic” new avatar on telly.
To make his portrayal as authentic as possible, Shaheer says he read up on the 'Mahabharat', researched Arjun as a character and attended workshops that would give him a holistic perspective of the part he had to play.
“In a youth-centric show or a social drama, you can be yourself as you create the character. But in a mythological show, you have an image to live up to. You are living a mythological character that has been revered and you need to take care of your look, expressions and emotions continually,” Shaheer says.
But challenges are something Shaheer thrives on. By his own admission, he’s an “avid learner”, who’s always trying out new things. “I like learning to do things that are challenging. Photography is something I enjoy. I think I’m very regular, very realistic (in what I want), but I’m also a wanderer in a way…” he says.
When he isn’t in his battle gear (and we mean that literally), the 29-year-old likes to go for swims, long drives and movie nights. He also loves the exhilaration of going on a good long run. Does he watch any TV? “Of course,” says Shaheer. “I have to get my quota of 'Modern Family' and 'Comedy Nights With Kapil'.”
