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Intelligent, vivacious and always willing to speak her mind, Shveta Salve has finally arrived in the hearts of the viewers, who have stayed hooked to their television sets, week after week, watching the svelte, dusky beauty take the stage with her choreographer, Longi, in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Popular Mona Singh may have walked away with the final prize, but Shveta's fans have touted that as far as grace and technique is concerned, Shveta can give any dancer a run for his/her money. In this tte--tte, Shveta says…

Sanjay Leela Bhansali likens me to dancing icon, Madhuri Dixit. Farah Khan tells me I'm a star and the gorgeous Shilpa Shetty thinks I'm an amazing dancer… all very heady! But honestly speaking, I am just a simple dal chawal girl from Chembur, a suburb in Mumbai. I am Shveta Salve, model, actor and now thanks to the popularity of my reality show on Sony 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa', a dancer…

My dad is a retired pilot from Air India and my mum still works with Air India. I have a brother, Sharvil, who is nine years younger than me. Ours is a simple middle class Maharashtrian family. In fact, we trace our roots to the kolis (fisher folks) and I am extremely proud of my lineage. Recently, when I performed a koli dance in 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa', I said exactly that on air and did what I always wanted to do — paid tribute to my clan. As a family, we are all very close and have always been there for each other.

As a child, I was a complete tomboy —a complete outdoor kid who loved sports. I studied at the Loretto Convent in Chembur, an all-girls' school, and was extremely good in studies. I would take part in all the extra curricular activities in school and win prizes galore. My fondest memory is when I won an award as the captain of my sports house in the 10th standard. Of course, music and dancing were passions and I loved to dance Bollywood style in front of an audience

After school, I got into Sophia College in Mumbai and that was an eye-opener! Here, I was dressed in usual collegiate garb, and there, the other girls were dressed in the finest designer threads. I think it was then that I grew up. I started noting fashion trends and styles. I grew my hair and started shaping my eyebrows — I had very bushy eyebrows — and generally took care of my appearance. And I ended up winning the college beauty pageant and became 'Miss Kaleidoscope'! Someone spotted me at the college campus and told me I should model.
I wasn't sure how I'd be accepted. I've never been discriminated against because of my skin colour. After all, dusky is alluring— it holds a lot of mystery while fair skin tends to look white in front of the camera.

My first modelling assignment was the Lacto Calamine ad, and I loved the experience. After that, there was no looking back. I went on to do many ads. My mother then insisted that I take part in the 'Gladrags' mega model hunt ('99). But frankly speaking, I had my reservations, as I am not very tall. But still, I thought I'd give it my best shot and guess what, I bagged the runner's up position. That's when people in the industry woke up to the fact that there was someone 'promising' called Shveta Salve. More modelling offers started pouring in but I was choosy and picked only the best like Samsung, Kelloggs and Dulux Paints.

It was during my modeling days, that my tryst with theatre happened, and I fell in love with it. I debuted in 'A Love Story', which was directed by eminent theatre personality Akhil Mishra. I was and still am strongly influenced by him and thanks to him I have learnt the nuances of acting. After that, I went on to do quite a few English and Hindi play.

While still dabbling in theatre, I did a cameo in a film called 'Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi'. I also did music videos. My first video – for singer Mehnaaz — earned me a meagre amount of Rs 800. But it was fun doing them. I then did a video for Karunesh, which was a huge hit. I also did one for Nitin Bali. After that, I started getting offers for 'item' numbers, but I refused them. I wanted a good repertoire of work. Though there were many offers in the pipeline, I really wasn't convinced about any of them.

My first break on TV was a two-episode role in 'Jaane Kahaan Mera Jigar Gaya Ji'. From there, I went on to bag other serials like 'Hip Hip Hurray', 'Sansar', 'Khamoshiyan Hai Kab Tak' and 'Dil Ko Kaise Samjahiye'. However, my serials 'Kittie Party' and 'Lipstick' were the ones that got me maximum mileage. I was a little apprehensive about doing 'Kittie Party' as I felt I would get lost amongst the numerous characters essayed by stars like Poonam Dhillon, Achint Kaur, Deepshikha and Maya Alagh. But producer Manish Sabharwal and Shobhaa De's faith in me convinced me to put my best foot forward. And it really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 'Lipstick' was another serial that was close to my heart. I played Sunithi Verma, who is as focused and independent as I am in my real life. Unfortunately, there were certain misunderstandings between the producer Shristi Arya and me, and I had to opt out of 'Lipstick'. After 'Lipstick', I did 'Sarrkar' with Ronit Roy I am aware that people used to link Rohit and me. Off-screen, we're just friends and our families know each other. He is an incorrigible flirt but absolutely harmless! Currently, I am doing 'Left Right Left' with Rajeev Khandelwal and people tell us that we make an extremely good couple on screen.

There is a hierarchy here. Luckily, the treatment I receive now on the sets is much better than what I used to get some years ago. And I am proud to say that I have earned this respect by sheer hard work.

Living in with Rodney Barnes

People make a big deal out of my lifestyle. But I've never denied that I'm living in with my fianc Rodney for the last five years. Tomorrow, if I feel like having a baby out of wedlock, I will. It's my life! Rodney is into event management and is a great guy to be with. He has a great sense of humour, and no, we are still not ready to get married. Eventually, it has to happen, so why rush it?

Let me set the record straight… Many people did question my presence in this show for non-dancers. They said that since I'm a trained dancer, I should not have been here. Well, let me tell them, I am not a trained dancer. I have never done salsa, rumba, or samba before this. Just because I move well, it doesn't make me a trained dancer. Luckily, I also got one of the most experienced choreographers – Longinus – to partner me in 'Jhalak…'When I dance, I let go of my inhibitions and have a blast, too bad if anybody has a problem with that. I enjoy what I do and it shows in my work.

Reality television can be a little unsettling as every emotion shows on camera. There are no second takes. Like, when Akashdeep Saigal spoke out against the judges, and said that I may be a good dancer but I am not a good human being, it was aired as it was. That's okay with me… I am nobody to judge him.