Ssharad Malhotra to play Maharana Pratap

Mumbai: Ssharad Malhotra will be seen as Maharana Pratap, taking over from Faisal Khan, who essayed the character so far. Ssharad became a household name with his debut show Banoo Main Teri Dulhann, but left television to pursue a film career.

About his TV comeback, Ssharad says, “I finished shooting for my film around May-June and wanted to get back to TV. I got offers, but didn’t want to do a saas-bahu show. Then I thought why not a historical drama? Initially I was hesitant about Maharana Pratap, but then I started reading about him and realised what a hero he is in Rajasthan. I went with my instincts and accepted the role.”

For the past three weeks, Ssharad has been training in horse riding, sword fighting and reading up on the character. “You need a certain body language, you need to look royal. The detailing in such shows is usually lacking and I’m paying attention to that. When I signed on, I asked the producer for a couple of DVDs with Faisal’s episodes so I could study him and pick up the role from where he left off,” he adds.

Ever since Dulhann ended, fans have wanted Ssharad and his girlfriend Divyanka Tripathi (formerly his co-star) to reunite on screen. But the actor says that won’t happen in the near future. “I’m just back to TV and she’s busy with Yeh Hai Mohabattein. Six years ago, things were different. But now there’s so much competition. You need to grab the audience’s attention. I got busy shooting for my film and now have to concentrate on my TV show,” says Ssharad.