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EXCLUSIVE: Shaheer Sheikh on playing Arjun in Mahabharat, initial apprehension to take up the role & re run
Shaheer Sheikh, in an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, opens up on Mahabharat re run, playing Arjun and the apprehensions he had. Read.
Shaheer Sheikh has always managed to pick up different roles despite Television being accused of monotonous content. Be it Anant in Navya or Dev in Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi, Shaheer has managed to enthral his audience. One of the most favourite and special characters in his career has been Arjun from Mahabharat and as the show is now being telecasted again amid lockdown, we reached out to Shaheer to make him walk down the memory lane with us. He shared how he got another family on the show, the most challenging scene, bonding with his onscreen brothers, apprehension about taking up the role and more.
Before we dive in, Shaheer revealed that his parents are currently in Jammu and hence he is left to do everything on his own. "I kind of like working but doing it daily is quite challenging," he laughed.
Mahabharat is being telecast again. It is a show close to you, from what I remember. How does it feel?
It feels amazing. I think it is the right time. There is so much to learn from Mahabharat, at least I feel that I learned a lot from it. It changed me as a human being. So many questions I had about life which were answered. So, I think it will help everyone. I think the new generation, the kids these days who don't know the story exactly, it is the best time for them to catch up on it.
Mythological shows are being watched profusely in the country amid lockdown...
That is amazing. I guess people are looking for inspiration from mythological shows (smiles).
Have you been watching the re-run as well?
Honestly, I keep watching scenes of Mahabharat. It is not just now, from the time it is on Hotstar, whenever I am home and I feel like watching something, I watch a few scenes. It makes me feel good. It is like a revision for me as well (laughs).
Any scene which was very difficult or challenging?
I think 'Abhimanyu Vadh' and what happens post that, it gives me goosebumps. The music and all the brothers together, it was just amazing. Apart from that, the disrobing of Draupadi, it was very dreadful.
Have you kept in touch with you co-stars from the show? What about the quarantine period, did you catch up with them?
Yes, we did (smiles).
Monday to Friday 8pm @starplus @realswastik @sourabhraaj.jain
Saurabh Raj Jain has been sharing quite a few anecdotes from the show. Anything you would like to share?
It is difficult to pick one, so there are so many memories. We were living together there, you can only make such friends in college days because we were living together on a daily basis because we were shooting in Umargaon. Every day there were new memories. I remember we did not have a gym there, so I would carry Bheem on my back and walk around and do lunges (laugh). Everybody used to be shocked by seeing that but it was fun.
Arjun was not just different from Shaheer in terms of physicality but also the language. Was it difficult to adapt to the new way of speaking on the show?
(laughs) Honestly, initially, it was difficult for almost a month when we started shooting to get into that zone and still sound convincing. So, that was the best part of Swastik Production, that they did not want it to sound like a typical mythological show. We used Sankrit words but it should come at ease, We were convinced about it. I know I struggled initially but then we slowly started getting used to it and started living the character. What helped is that we were 24/7 in the character. We still call each other by our onscreen name (laughs). We developed such relations between us!
If not Arjun, what character from Mahabharat would you like to play?
I can't think of any other character to play apart from Arjun, right now. Because though everyone was a warrior, Arjun is someone who wants to do the right thing, it is so comforting to do a character like that.
You have reiterated that Arjun changed you as a person too. What was the biggest change you saw in you?
I became way more focused in life. Whenever I am, at that moment, I became so aware of things around me. I started meditation, followed a new routine, wake up early. I would never do that before that. There was more discipline in my life. I also felt a lot more responsible.
Were you ever apprehensive about playing Arjun?
Of course, initially, when I spoke to Sidharth Ji, it was just after Navya, I was sure that I won't be able to do it. It is just now something I will be convincing at. It is such a big responsibility to play one of the biggest warriors of our mythology. People will look up to him, it is a big pressure. Honestly, I was really scared but he believed in me. He narrated the character and explained what they want from it. So, it kind of gave me confidence. He is very inspiring, he is an example of a perfect man, anyone would relate to him and even I did. So, all that I could relate to and I tried to find that Arjun in me.
Very rarely the character gives back to you. Generally, when you play a character, you give everything to it, your time, your efforts, very rarely you get something out of it, and hence, I have such profound memories of this.
Have you been missing shooting for Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke?
Not really missing shooting because I am someone who does like to spend time with myself. I think we end up not giving ourselves time. And this is that time for me.
While many are utilising this time to connect to fans, you have been slightly away from social media. Why?
I have not spent any time with myself in the last few years. Either I am Anant, Arjun, or someone else. I really wanted to meet Shaheer, so, I think that is what is happening.
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