Mohit Malik has been putting his sweat and blood into Samrat, a role that he essays on Zee TV’s Doli Armaanon Ki (Spellbound Productions). And fortunately his hard work is paying off. Though Samrat sports a lot of grey shades, the audiences are appreciating it and this simply surprises the artist. “I’ve been getting great response and the TRPs too are going up and that’s what makes me happy. In fact, after the scene where Samrat hits his wife with a belt I wasn’t sure how the audience would take it, but I am stunned by their understanding. People outside the industry walk up to me and say ‘you acted really well.’ Now that really counts,” says the actor and further goes on to add, “Recently I was at Durban, South Africa and a lot of Indian doctors there walked up to me to convey their appreciation for my work. I keep getting real good messages from critics as well as industry friends.” Does all the appreciation create pressure to perform better? “Trust me, it does. I get cold feet every time I have a dramatic scene. I am extremely nervous and that’s good in a way, as it helps me perform better. The pressure keeps me on my toes and pushes me to perform better than the last time. I have seen a lot of actors who become complacent over a period of time. I would never want to fall in that category,” states Mohit. We’ve seen Samrat affecting you on a personal level because you’re exactly opposite of him in real life. So, what have you been doing to de-stress yourself? “I have joined dance classes and it helps me de-stress a great deal. Apart from that I go shopping because buying clothes makes me feel better or even take off on a long drive with my wife (Aditi Shirwaikar). That way I get some time with her too, otherwise it gets really difficult. I don’t like her coming on the sets and neither does she prefer it; so we try and maintain that space. I am also not a switch on, switch off person so I tend to be in my own zone even on the sets.” Does this mean you don’t even talk much on the sets? “That’s true. I don’t really talk much on the sets, especially because my role is very demanding. But there are times when I am seen chatting with everyone around me. Also everyone knows that I have a lighter scene to shoot for when I am in a good mood (laughs).” The actor recently also received an award for the best actor in a negative role and though he thanked one and all for it, most of it was edited and not aired. Now that has become a matter of concern in his life. Explaining the same he says, “Yes, they kept only the portions where I thanked my wife; a part of it where I thanked my father and friends got edited. And trust me, they have been taunting me for not having mentioned their names. So, I must say that they’ve all contributed in my success especially my producer Pearl Grey. She believed in me and offered me the most challenging role of my career in Pratigya. I played the role of Abhimanyu Singh Yadav, Sajjan Singh’s illegitimate son. I had to break through all my earlier images to get into this. Next she wrote Samrat keeping me in mind. I don’t know how many people write roles keeping actors in mind these days, but she did.” What’s next for Samrat on the show? “The audiences will get to see a different side of Samrat in the coming week. He will fall in love with his wife but in Samrat style.” Way to go, Mohit.