TOI: I m in a NEW relationship-Sushi

I am in a new relationship

Telly heartthrob Sushant Singh Rajput on his new creative pursuits,Ankita Lokhande and why hes waiting for the perfect B-Town role

Amrita Mulchandani


Prime television star Sushant Singh Rajput set many nubile hearts aflutter when he came to Ahmedabad to judge the Clean and ClearAhmedabad Times Fresh Face 2011 on a chilly Saturday evening.Young women fans made a quick rush for photo-ops and autographs and couldnt seem to get enough of Sushant who cheerily waved at them and settled down to judge the finale.With his endearing smile and chocolate-boy looks,Sushant appeared comfortable dealing with his female fans.He admitted with an almost rueful grin,The adulation from my female fans is heady,but I do get scared sometimes too,if someone gets too close for comfort.My girlfriend Ankita (Lokhande) doesnt feel insecure about the pretty female fans that I have,shes protective.
In Ahmedabad for the second time,Sushant said he enjoyed his stay this time around.He says,I like the city for its amazing food.I love street food,so I gorged on the eight-flavoured panipuri here.People are very warm here,but I feel they need to wear helmets when they are driving twowheelers.Chief Minister Narendra Modi has done amazing developments for the city and I am almost sure he will soon be our prime minister.
Sushant who quit the show,Pavitra Rishta recently says he wants to work on honing his acting skills further.He says,This is the best phase of my life I am working on my acting skills and diction.Currently I am directing and writing a short film called Ignored Decibels.I am not acting in it because as an actor I wouldnt listen to myself, he says.As someone whos passionate about direction,Sushant says hes keen to work hard towards his dream.Sushant who was a finalist at a popular dance reality show,is now learning international dance forms like top rock,C Walk,Latin and B-boying.I am doing martial arts and will become a black belt next year.I watch three films in a day and hit the gym regularly.
Sushant also modestly attributes much of his celeb status to,Ekta Kapoor.She is the most intelligent and creative woman in the entertainment industry.She had told me once she would make me a superstar.At that time I didnt take her words very seriously but she proved it.She has a strong presence with her shows on prime time television for the last 10 years.Shes brilliant.I feel very obliged to her.No matter where I am in the near future,Ill always be thankful to Ekta, he says.
Would Sushant be interested in doing television shows with interesting scripts He quips,I wont be doing daily soaps for the next couple of years.I dont look down on TV,but daily soaps take away a lot of time.Of course one can mint money if ones doing a daily show,but I am not here to make a quick buck.I want to do good work.Money and fame are not important to me beyond a point. He also commented on the kind of content on television shows.He says,The showmakers should know where to draw a line they should be responsible.Audiences do have a choice to switch off a show and move to something else,but the content needs to be fresh.Shows shouldnt run for long period of time,and then it should be innovated constantly.
So is B-Town the next step Sushant says,I was offered few films,but I havent accepted any.I disliked the scripts and in some projects things didnt fall in place.I believe in the kind of films that Rajkumar Hirani,Mani Ratnam,Vishal Bharadwaj,Anurag Basu and Vikramaditya Motwane make.Id love to work with them.
His much talked-about relationship with co-star Ankita Lokhande has always raised curiosity.He says,When we were doing the show,we were in our characters for 12 hours and for the rest we were Sushant and Ankita.But now things are different.I would describe our relationship as new and fresh.Ankita misses me a lot on the show and I miss working with her, he says wistfully.
amrita.mulchandani@timesgroup.com