Shaheer Sheikh Reminisces his Role in Mahabharat: I thought I will not be able to do justice to the character!

In the midst of the on-going lockdown, the channels are bringing back some of the most loved shows back on TV to keep on entertaining the fans. Star Plus is also airing the reruns of the mythological show Mahabharat. 

We got in touch with Actor Shaheer Sheikh who played the role of Arjuna in the show. He spoke to us about his memories from the sets, the impact that this role has in his life and much more...

As Mahabharat is back on Television, how’s the feeling, is it quite nostalgic for you?

It is good, we have been talking about it, like all the actors. We got in touch again a few days back. We have been talking about those memories, beautiful memories we have of the show. 

Mahabharat is like one such show where people watch it with their families. Are you also watching the re-runs?

My family is in Jammu and I am in Mumbai. So I am watching the episodes but not like on TV, I watch it on Hostar. 

Do you recall any particular memories or moments from the sets?

There are so many, all of it. Because we lived there at Umbergaon. We were the characters 24/7, even when the shoot was over and we used to go back to where we lived, we would still behave like the characters. That’s what I remember from those days. It was quite a lot of fun because it felt like hostel life over there. We were all put in one building and we had different departments. So, yes, there are a lot of good memories. 

How much has the role of Arjuna made an impact in your life and career?

For me, it’s one of the high points of my career and my life. It has given me a lot. I have learnt a lot by playing that character, it has answered a lot of questions about life for me. Like every human being asks himself, why I should do this and why should I do that. It answered a lot of questions that I had in my mind. I feel that I have become a better person.

Do you remember the first time when you were offered this role?

Yes I do. When they told me for the first time, I got really scared because I thought I will not be able to do justice to the character because it’s a very important character and people look up to this character. My Hindi is not good so I really got scared initially to the point that I left the office where we were having this conversation. But the producer of the show, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, again spoke to me and he narrated me. He basically explained to me his vision, how he is going to make Mahabharat this time and he explained to me the character that somehow gave me the confidence that maybe I can give this a try. We also got almost one year of training which really helped me a lot to play the character. 

A lot of shows are coming back on TV because of this lockdown period, do you have any specific show in mind that you want to come back?

I would love to watch Tu Tu Main Main. Because Supriya Maa was in it and I loved that show. I was really small but I remember watching it.

Signing off, he said, "Keep watching, try and tell the kids and the younger generation to watch it as well because they will learn a lot from it. Also, stay at home. We are entertaining you during this difficult time also, make sure that you stay at home as much as you can and we can defeat this virus and be back to our normal life."