Celebrities seem to have it all — name, fame, money and status. But if you ask any celebrity about what gives them a high, the unanimous response will be — affection from fans. Young actor Shaheer Sheikh is no different. Whether it was his first kids show on Disney or the young love story Navya, Shaheer has been getting loads of love from his admirers. What took him to the zenith of his fame was the role of Arjuna in Mahabharat.

Shaheer is currently playing Dev Dixit in the popular show Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi on Sony Entertainment Television. Dev is a young businessman who shares an extremely emotional relationship with his mother, played by Supriya Pilgaonkar. The story is based on the hardships of a mother and her son, but also has a strong backdrop of romance between Dev and Sonakshi.

Talking about his character and the show,  Shaheer says, “When Mamta Patnaik (creative head of the production house) narrated the story, I could imagine each and every character. The challenging aspect was to believe in Dev’s role. His body language and mannerisms are different. Dev is a man of the family, and his approach is straightforward. When he falls in love with a girl, he goes through a tumultuous journey, and the audience will see it.”

In real life, will Shaheer ever ignore his family for his love? “In the show, Dev too never does anything to upset his mother. In reality, I have been brought up warmly by my parents and have always given time to them. After work, I prefer to go back home and spend time with them. When 2  people are in love, they ignore many things which the parents can see. So I will never ignore my parents.”

Talking about his career and the roles he has taken on, Shaheer is brutally honest. “When Arjuna’s role was offered to me, I was quite unsure about how to play him. I was doubtful about my command over Hindi. I also was a lanky guy. But then the workshops helped me, and I built my physique to suit the role. Before Mahabharat, I played a youthful character in a show called Navya. People loved me there too. I have always tried to take up different roles so that I don’t bore my fans.”

During his days in Indonesia, Shaheer was part of a reality show as well as a show on Hindi films that basically promoted Hindi film music.

Where does he see himself in the future? “I would like to lead a good life. And one of my goals is to direct a show or a film. I am working on the script now. I hope I get some time off to shoot it! I love photography, so I wish to explore that as well.”

Shaheer has been in the industry for sometime now and feels the distance between the 2 mediums is less now. He says, “In the West, television actors are often seen in films and film actors are also part of some television shows. That is exactly what’s happening in India now. So the gap has become less, and we are heading in  the right direction. I am open to both television and films, but I’ll never take on a negative role in a film.”