There was no chance of refusal; it was a lifetime opportunity for me to play Arjun - Shaheer Sheikh

The extremely good looking Shaheer Sheikh, who was last seen as Nityanand in Teri Meri Love Stories, is back on TV playing the mighty Arjun in Star Plus’ grand epic Mahabharat (Swastik Productions). In a tete-a-tete with Tellychakkar.com, Shaheer speaks about his character and the time he took to prepare himself for this role. Says Shaheer, “I am the one who likes to take challenges and this role was one of the most challenging ones that I could lay my hands on. There was no chance of refusal; it was a lifetime opportunity for me. Even though the show gave me sleepless nights, the legendary character of Arjun really attracted me and I was ready to put in my efforts to play the part to the best of my capabilities.” “I have really worked hard on my routine. Actually this character has made me more disciplined. Never an early riser, now I am out of bed early to work out on my body. I also have a better and controlled diet now. I appointed a Hindi tutor to improve my vocabulary and diction. Along with this, we have been practicing all the stunts very devotedly. Though it’s definitely a hard task, I am really enjoying it,” he continues. Ask him whether he took any tips from B R Chopra’s Mahabharat, he quips, “No, not at all; I haven’t even watched it. I wanted my character to be as real as possible. I did read about Arjun and made a sketch in my mind of the way I look at him. I wanted to play Arjun, the way he must have felt in all the situations rather what has been played already,” Shaheer adds. Talking about his fondness for the character he is playing, the actor informs, “It definitely is my favourite character followed by Bhishma, Yuddhishtir and Karan. All of them are very strong but Arjun is as closest a human being can be to God; he is like the chosen one. He was so close to Shree Krishna and my favourite moment is that when Shree Krishna gives him the Geeta ka gyaan.” Having earlier played a chocolate hero, that actor was apprehensive of taking this big risk. But now, the risk has paid off, says he, “It was surely a risk, but as an actor I cannot do the same thing always; I am sure my fans will understand that. The major population of our country that is below 25 years hasn’t seen the earlier Mahabharat; so it will come as something fresh. And with the kind of response I have got till now, I am sure this will be a very positive change,” observes the actor. With the show taking more than a year to get on floors, Shaheer says he is thankful for the break. “I wasn’t really ready at that time to get into such an important role. I needed time to prepare myself. And this phase gave me the chance to get myself ready to play the role.” On the reaction of his parents seeing him as Arjun, Shaheer exclaims, “They were really happy, but my dad also told me that since the earlier Arjun was played so brilliantly, I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders to stand up to that mark.” Talking about his future aspirations, the handsome hunk states, “I am someone who takes things as they come. So there’s no plan of jumping into Bollywood soon. But I do want to see myself behind the camera sometime. Apart from that, I am enjoying my photography stints and as I travel across, I get to click such beautiful pictures.” “But right now I am simply concentrating on playing Arjun,” he concludes with a laugh. All the best Shaheer, as your fans wait with bated breath to see you in action as Arjun.