Sidharth Shukla Talks About Returning To Acting After 2 Years And His Link Up Rumours With Rashami Desai!

Known for his role as Shiv in the TV show Balika Vadhu, Sidharth Shukla is glad to be back to acting after more than two years. The actor says he is happy to be working in TV serials after a good 2016, which saw him win a reality TV show and land a gig as the host of another. In an interview, Sidharth talks about acting, reality TV shows and link-ups.

You won Khatron Ke Khiladi and hosted India’s Got Talent in 2016. How was the year for you?

It was a good year. It felt good to win the show, as I had wanted to be a part of it for a long while. I had initially thought I would participate in it when I started acting. This is the show I was built for, but I wish I had been part of the show when I was 25, as I was more agile then. Now, I am about 35. It was good to see that I could still give my best.

Besides the good money, do you think participating in reality TV shows adds to your career?

I don’t know if it does or doesn’t. It definitely boosts your morale, and the money is good as well.

You have returned to acting after more than two years. Did you miss acting?

Yes, I did. In fact, for the first few days of the shoot, I was afraid that I had forgotten acting. I was busy for over two years with reality TV shows, and that was on my mind. I was worried and hoped that I hadn’t forgotten how to act. I even asked my mom, ‘would I be able to act if I get a show tomorrow?’ I wondered what would happen if I froze before the camera or was unable to deliver my lines well. But fortunately, the shooting has gone smoothly and things have been well.

Was it a conscious decision to take a break from acting?

It was, more or less. I thought the audience had seen me in various TV shows over a period of time, and I wanted to take a break and try my hand at different things.

You focused on films in the interim as well…

That [working in movies] goes hand in hand with my acting career. Acting includes movies and television shows. There haven’t been any developments on the film front right now. But if something good comes my way, I will surely go for it.

You were also in the news for being linked with Rashami Desai…

Link-ups go hand-in-hand with TV shows. You do a show and you get linked with your co-star. Rashami and I both have been in the industry for a while, and know exactly how things work. We take things with a pinch of salt, and it’s all good.