"I was offered and have refused Jhalak Dikhla Jaa"

Out of many celebs who have been approached for the next season of Colors Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, actor Anas Rashid who plays Sooraj in Star Plus's Diya Aur Baati too was one of the possible participants. Says Anas, "Yes, I was offered Jhalak Dikhla Jaa twice… first it was last year for Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 5 - Dancing with the stars and I had to say 'no' to it due to my hectic schedule of Diya Aur Baati and then again this year they approached me but I had to say 'no' again."

While last year it was the hectic schedule, this year Anas also seems to be concerned about the hard work that goes behind a dance reality show. "Dancing is very painful and this year I have been watching my co-actor Bhabo (Neelu Vaghela) putting in a lot of effort in Nach Baliye. I have seen the pain and hard work that she has been through. As per the Jhalak contract the participant has to put in 3 hours of rehearsals every day which would have been difficult for me due to the commitment to my daily soap. Then there are the technical shoots, reality bites, etc."

His dedication to Star Plus too made him take the decision, "Jab tak Star Plus ka damaad hun main nahi kar paunga. Also, when you are doing a daily soap there is no compromise – for the actor as well as for the show. The story track too will suffer unnecessarily and so I think I took the right decision."

But that doesn't mean that we won't ever see Anas doing a reality show. Hopefully, within two months he will be seen in a new talent reality show on Star Plus which is a brand new concept and our source says that Anas has already signed up for the same. However, Anas does not confirm this, "I cannot say anything at the moment."

For fans of Anas Rashid that will be one more side of their favorite actor that they will get to see soon!

Seema Khot Mattoo