'I
Was
Like
'What,
Really?'
For
A
Second
When
I
Was
Approached
To
Play
A
Ghost'
Q.
How
did
Gehraiyaan
come
your
way?
A.
I
got
a
call
from
Vikram
Bhatt
regarding
Gehraiyaan.
It
was
a
very
interesting
horror
show.
I
had
never
attempted
this
genre
before.
I
was
pretty
excited.
The
show
is
being
telecasted
on
Viu
which
is
a
new
platform.
Gehraiyaan
is
India's
first
digital
horror
web
series
and
then
Sanjeeda
Sheikh
was
also
a
part
of
it.
So,
all
these
factors
made
me
say
yes
to
this
show.
Then
after
3-
4
days,
I
got
a
call
again
from
Vikram's
office
saying
that
instead
of
the
role
which
they
had
earlier
offered
me,
they
now
wanted
me
to
play
the
ghost
instead.
For
a
second,
I
was
like
'what,
really?'.
But
then
they
were
quite
sure
about
it.
So,
I
said
okay
and
took
up
the
challenge.
Q.
How
was
it
teaming
up
once
again
with
Sanjeeda
Sheikh
after
Ek
Hasina
Thi?
A.
Sanjeeda
is
a
dear
friend.
Previously
we
had
a
great
time
while
working
on
Ek
Haseena
Thi
and
the
show
was
a
huge
success
because
somewhere
down
the
line
our
chemistry
worked.
Similarly
in
Gehraiyaan,
our
scenes
together
have
turned
up
just
amazing.
So,
it
was
a
great
fun
to
work
with
her
again.
More
than
anything,
I
was
very
excited
that
it
was
Sanjeeda
who
was
my
co-star
on
this
show
too.
'My
Looks
Are
Very
Deceptive'
Q.
What
was
it
about
your
role
that
attracted
you
the
most?
A.
As
an
actor
you
want
to
do
a
lot
of
different
things
in
life.
I
started
off
my
career
with
a
chocolate
boy
role
in
Just
Mohabbat,
then
'Tarzan:
The
Wonder
Car' happened
followed
by
a
lot
of
films.
I
played
an
anti-hero
in
Ek
Hasina
Thi.
It
was
very
interesting
for
me
as
an
actor
to
have
managed
to
be
a
part
of
these
things
and
now
here
I
am
playing
a
ghost
in
Gehraiyaan.
In
fact,
a
lot
of
my
colleagues
from
the
industry
including
seniors
like
Ajay
Devgn
Sir,
Suniel
Shetty,
Sohail
Bhai
and
others
tweeted
about
my
show
and
I
felt
very
happy
about
it.
They
told
me
that
my
looks
are
very
deceptive.
Q.
'Ek
Hasina
Thi',
'Baazigar'
and
now
'Gehraiyaan',
are
you
attracted
more
towards
dark
roles?
A.
It's
the
other
way
around.
I
think
dark
characters
are
attracted
towards
me
(laughs).
After
doing
these
shows,
I
have
been
getting
a
lot
of
offers
for
shows
on
similar
lines.
Maybe
I
must
have
done
justice
to
these
characters.
Q.
But
isn't
there
a
fear
of
getting
stereotyped
by
taking
up
such
characters
back
to
back?
A.
Not
really.
I
think
there
is
nothing
like
getting
stereotyped.
It's
just
that
if
your
work
is
getting
appreciated
and
people
like
it
then
why
not?
Thankfully.
whatever
I
have
done
until
now
has
been
appreciated
by
my
fans.
'When
I
Was
Offered
Ek
Hasina
Thi,
A
Lot
Of
People
From
The
Industry
Advised
Me
To
Not
Take
Up
That
Role'
Q.
There
was
a
time
when
actors
used
to
develop
cold
feet
when
it
came
to
playing
an
anti-hero
on
small screen which
isn't
the
case
anymore.
What
do
you
think
led
the
change?
A.
Thanks
to
Ek
Hasina
Thi.
(smiles)
That
show
broke
a
lot
of
barriers. Now,
there
are
many
shows
with
anti-heroes.
A
lot
of
people
who
never
watched
TV
started
watching
because
of
Ek
Hasina
Thi.
When
I
got
that
role,
there
was
no
benchmark
or
reference
point.
So,
for
them
to
even
explain
me
and
for
me
to
understand
was
very
difficult.
But,
I
am
a
very
open-minded,
optimistic
guy.
I
love
to
take
up
challenges
as
an
actor.
When
I
was
offered
that
show,
a
lot
of
people
from
the
industry advised
me
to
not
take
up
that
role.
They
were
like
'It's
not
good..you
shouldn't
be
playing
an
anti
hero'.
In
fact
Ek
Hasina
Thi
even
had
a
protagonist.
It
wasn't
like
I
was
the
only
one.
Just
because
people
appreciated
my
work
a
lot,
that's
why
they
weren't
talking
about
that
protagonist-
the
main
hero.
I
took
up
the
role
of
Shaurya
because
it
was
interesting
and
I
put
my
blood
and
sweat
into
it.
So
from
thereon,
I
remember
a
year
after
Ek
Hasina
Thi,
a
friend
from
the
industry
told
me
'Dude,
I
went
for
a
meeting
and
they
told
me
that
my
role
was
something
like Vatsal's
in
Ek
Hasina
Thi'.
So
it
was
used
as
a
reference
point.
'You
Will
Always
Stand
Out
If
You
Are
Doing
Quality
Work'
Q.
In
one
of
your
old
interviews
which
dates
back
to
2004,
the
time
when
your
debut
film
had
just
released,
you
had
said,
"It's
very
important
to
pitch
yourself
in
Indian
cinema.
Had
I
continued
doing
television,
I
would
have
been
coming
into
bedrooms
and
drawing
rooms
virtually
24
X
7.
Then
would
people
shell
out
Rs.
100
ticket
to
see
me
on
the
big
screen?
Who
doesn't
want
to
take
a
quantum
leap
in
life?" Do
you
still
stand
by
these
words?
A.
When
I
did
Just
Mohabbat,
television
scenario
was
very
different.
It
was
in
1999-2000
where
there
were
very
few
TV
channels.
When
I
did
that
show,
it
became
very
huge
because
they
was
no
social
media.
Then
I
did
films
and
I
was
like
'wow,
this
is
a
very
different
world'.
But
then
when
I
did
Ek
Hasina
Thi
after
doing
films,
I
felt
like
'wow,
even
TV
is
now a
different
world'.
The
reach
of
television
has
increased
by
leaps
and
bounds
comparing
Just
Mohabbat
to
what
I
am
doing
right
now.
To
be
very
honest,
the
number
of
people
on
the
sets
of
a
TV
show
today
is
even
more
than
that
of
a
film.
So,
its
become
so
huge
and
the
reach
is
wide.
Recently
I
went
to
America
and
found
that
the
people
there
were
talking
about
my
show.
I
stick
by
that
statement
because
it
was
made
in
the
times
around
2004.
But
right
now
things
have
changed.
The
next
shift
is
going
to
be
web-series.
I
think
Viu
has
done
a
great
job
by
venturing
into
an
original
market.
Q.
But
then
do
you
think
the
influx
in
the
number of
web-series
could
affect
the
content?
A.
See,
influx
happens
everywhere
including
films.
But
if
you
are
doing
quality
work
then
you
will
always
stand
out.
There
is
an
influx
in
the
TV
shows
too.
If
they
are
good
enough
then
they
work
or
else
not.
There
are
so
many
web-series
coming
up.
I
got
a
call
for
so
many
of
them.
But
then
only
the
good
ones
would
work.
Q.
You
have
always
maintained
that
you
are
very
proud
of
all
your
films
irrespective
of
their
box
office
fate.
So
did
you
never
think
of
giving
the
big
screen
yet
another
shot
afTer
your
cameo
in
Jai
Ho?
A.
After
my
last
film,
I
wasn't
being
offered
interesting
work
and
then
suddenly
Ek
Hasina
Thi
happened.
I
did
it
because
it
was
something
different
which
was
quite
challenging.
When
I
entered
the
world
of
TV
I
was
like
'wow,
this
wasn't
what
I
was
thinking.'
This
is
much
bigger
than
that.
So,
the
same
thing
happened
with
web-series
too.
I
wasn't
sure
about
how
it
would
turn
out
to
be.
A
thought
did
cross
my
mind
but
the
quality
of
this
web-series
is
superb
and
everyone
is
talking
about
it.
As
an
actor,
I
am
open
to
everything.
If
there
is
an
interesting
character
in
a
film,
I
would
love
to
do
it.
The
same
applies
to
TV
too.
'I
Would
Love
To
See
Just
Mohabbat
Back
As
A
Web-series'
'I
Would
Love
To
See
Just
Mohabbat
Back
As
A
Webseries'
Q.
You
have
dabbled
with
films,
TV
and
now
web
series.
Which
medium
did
you
find
the
most
chalenging?
A.
As
an
actor,
I
act
the
same
way.
But
the
advantage
in
TV
is
that
your
work
is
out
there
almost everyday.
Because
of
the
social
media
and
the
forums,
you
stay
connected
with
your
fans.
If
they
like
or
dislike something
in
an
episode,
they
write
about
it.
So,
you
have
a
chance
to
correct
yourself
and
to
do
something.
That's
why
I
feel
that
TV
is
a
very
interesting
medium.
If
you
get
it
right
and
if
you
are
listening,
you
can
do
really
well.
Q.
Sarabai
vs
Sarabai
recently
made
a
comeback
as
webseries.
Which
other
TV
show
would
you
like
to
see
on
the
web?
A.
I
would
love
to
see
Just
Mohabbat
back
as
a
webseries.
'Apart
From
Opportunities,
Star
Kids
Have
More
Responsibilties
As
Well'
Q.
Recently
Kangana
Ranaut
created
a
huge
hullaboo
in
the
industry
when
she
pointed
out
the
nepotism
word.
As
someone
who
is
not
a
star
kid,
what's
your
take
on
it?
A.
To
be
very
honest,
right
now
as
we
were
talking
about
influx
of
content,
there
is
so
much
of
work
out
there.
If
you
really
have
the
talent,
you
will
make
it.
But
yes,
somewhere
down
the
line
I
feel
that
people
belonging
to
film
family
do
get
an
easy
opportunity
because
they
have
an
access
as
they
are
born
and
brought
up
in
a
certain
way.
So
yes,
they
have
more
opportunities.
But
apart
from
opportunities,
they
have
more
responsibilities
as
well.
Whatever
Kangana
said,
I
do
agree
about
some
things
that
but
that's
not
the
end
of
it.
I
haven't
seen
her
whole
interview.
But
yes,
it
happens
at
places.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
you
will
survive
only
if
you
have
the
talent.
Q.
On
the
parting
note,
what's
the
best
piece
of
advice
which
someone
from
the
industry
has
ever
offered
you?
A.
Shahrukh
Khan
once
gave
me
the
best
piece
of
advice
when
I
was
doing
a
Pepsi
commercial
with
him
way
back
in
2004-2005.
We
were
travelling
back
from
Rajkot
to
the
airport.
We
were
in
the
car
together.
I
was
a
new
kid
and
totally
starstruck.
There
was
a
dialogue
which
I
wasn't
doing
properly
because
I
was
so
much
in
awe.
He
took
me
outside.
As
I
was
apologizing
to
him
for
not
getting
it
right
he
told
me
not
to
get
worried.
He
said,
'Acting
is
something
which
you
will
keep
on
learning
everyday.
When
I
started
working
if
you
gave
me
a
dialogue,
I
would
have
given
you
back
the
original
said
dialogue
in
probably
1
minute.
But
today
I
can
say
the
same
dialogue
in
say
around
20
different
ways.
If
you
meet
me
after
5
years,
I
would
probably
say
that
dialogue
in
30
different
ways.
So
as
an
actor,
you
keep
on
learning
and
learning."