'India-forums.com is like an extended family' - Sharad and Divyanka

They came, they saw, they conquered. And they still continue to conquer the hearts of the Indian audience. The most loved couple of Indian television, Sharad Malhotra and Divyanka Tripathi are not only the country's favorite on-screen duo, but india-forums.com/tellybuzz's too.

Excerpts of the interview with the most adored couple of television exclusively for the india-forums.com members.
Sagar-Vidhya created an eternal love story, Amar-Divya is all set to create the same magic, how does it feel to have received so much of appreciation from your fans?
Divyanka: It feels good. We have played different characters in one show itself. Like, earlier Sharad was a mentally challenged eight-year old kid after which, he was the sophisticated classy upper-class business person Sagar while now he is Amar who is a yokel from Benaras. And, I was playing the role of a girl who was very simple, illiterate and now I am playing the character of a girl who is well educated and well brought up. It’s an achievement for me, as I have never acted before this. I have never worn western clothes before and have never experimented with myself, so it feels good to be appreciated.

Sharad: We have had different personas in the show; in fact, I think I have had three to four different ones. We are very thankful to our audience that they appreciated it all and they welcomed every change that has been made in the show, which is quite shocking for us, as we have tried very hard to believe the character we have tried to portray.

How was your individual experience participating in a reality show? If you guys were offered a show where you had to participate together, would you accept it?
Sharad: I feel I am the best, I am sorry I am being so modest (smiles) but I guess if you don't feel that you are the best, nobody thinks you are actually good. Therefore, I think you have to convince yourself first. And it could be a line, a scene or anything and if I convince myself that it is good and someone else will enjoy me doing it, I will do it well. The same way, I really enjoyed doing Jalwa. I stepped into the show as a non dancer and stepped out as a person who understood the nuances of dance better, like the beats, rhythm etc.

Divyanka: I did not expect such a good response for Shaava Shaava. I started out the show as a non-singer and did not have the rhythm sense or the pitch sense. However, after two three episodes, I got on the right track. And the best part was that, all of you were supporting me. It was thanks to you all that I reached that far in the competition and I got the courage to improve myself, since everyone there was criticizing and they wanted me out of the show. But yet, all my fans stood by me and it was thanks to you pointing to my mistakes, I could improve my singing.

Sharad, in spite of rendering such good and innovative performances, you still received criticism and flak from all. Do you justify your elimination from the show?
Frankly, I do not agree with the fact that I was eliminated from the show due to a lack of votes from my fans. We always tried being innovative and kept it very simple. However, in spite of that we received criticism. I really don’t know why it was so and I cannot say if it was fair or not when I was eliminated from the show. We always tried hard not to disappoint our fans all around and I tried hard to make it a good show.

Both of you are an intricate part of india-forums. You’ll visit the forums too and read the feedback given. So what do you have to say about india-forums as a television news site?
Sharad: It’s a great site and is very informative. One site that is very genuine and always gives the truth. There are times when I am on the forums when I have nothing to do and enjoy reading the feedback.

Divyanka: We really appreciate it, as generally people don’t criticize us on our face. However, thanks to our india-forums fans, we come to know about our mistakes and we are improving because of all of them.

Message to your fans.
Both: Firstly wishing all of you a very happy anniversary. Thanks for all your love and support, we think you guys have been really great. You people have been one of our biggest support systems, our motivation and today without you all, we would not be where we are. Be it a part of Dulhann or Shaava Shaava or Jalwa. Thanks for the confidence and faith that you have in us. We are blessed to have someone like you in our life and you all are no longer fans but a family. God bless you all!!!

To watch the exclusive video of Sharad and Divyanka, check Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Reporter and Author: Melanie