***Hearthrob SURAJ/The Emperor of Expressions***AT # 5 - Page 104

Anas Rashid has been playing Sooraj on Diya Aur Baati Hum for the past three years now. While he has an important part on the show, his onscreen wife Sandhya continues to hog the limelight. Does that ever bother him? "Sooraj is a simple, non-glamorous and uneducated halwai, although a good looking one," he says in jest. "Now playing a drab character like that can be very boring, but for me, that is the challenge. It is my job to play a boring character well and luckily for me, I love my job," he adds.

The chemistry between Sooraj and Sandhya is also much talked about and is a hit among the audiences. Anas believe it is a case of opposites attracting. "Take films such as Raja Hindustani and Jab We Met, for example. I believe that in a relationship when the man is simple and the lady is confident and outgoing, they find a perfect partner in each other. Even in this case, Sooraj is calm and composed while Sandhya is the one taking the lead almost all the time the two mutually appreciate and complement each other."

In real life however, there have been rumours that Anas is dating actress Rati Pandey. So we thought we'd hear it from the horse's mouth. He says, "Dating is a personal thing and one would like to keep it under covers but I don't like to hide things. I keep hearing about myself dating Rati, but that is absolutely untrue. I am not in a phase where I can date someone right now."

So how different is Anas from Sooraj? "Anas loves Sooraj's character. If Anas as a father had five children, and one of the kids was Sooraj, he would be Anas' favourite kid. We are not the same, but there are a few similarities such as family orientation, commitment to work, honesty, and loyalty in all relationships. But definitely Anas and Sooraj are two different people."

The actor is also usually missing from industry parties. Why? "I get along with everyone, but I don't get a lot of time to socialise," he explains.