Mumbai: Weeks of speculations and rumours and most of all suspense were finally put to rest when Ashish Sharma was declared the winner of reality dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7. And the small-screen heartthrob says it feels surreal. “When I joined the show, I didn’t think I would survive more than two to three weeks. I got injured several times while juggling my Jhalak rehearsals with my daily soap Rangrasiya. I remember there was a point when the pressure was unbearable. But once I reached the finale, I was determined to give it my all.”
The actor dismisses rumours that the channel favoured him since he was also a part of a daily show on Colors. The talks gained steam as Ashish has managed to beat a professional dancer like Shakti Mohan, who was one of the top contenders. The actor says, “The show is all about the journey from being a non-dancer to improving with every episode. And I think I fit right in. Yes, it was tough, especially with the kind of competitors I had. Now when I look back, I don’t know how I survived. The show certainly took a toll on me.
My BP dropped, sugar levels reduced but I think fans recognised my effort and voted for me. Their love and their votes have made me the winner. Fans expect a lot from you and I’m glad I could do this for them.” Ashish says that his biggest support during the journey has been his wife Archana and choreographer Shampa. They are the ones, who, according to him, transformed him into a dancer. He says, “My wife has been a great support. I would be away at work for 16-18 hours and not be able to give her any time. But she was always there, taking care of me, making sure I’m all right. There were times I would want to give up but she pushed me through.” About Shampa, he says, “She has always been a great support and I have found a friend for life.”
Besides them, Ashish also credits Karan Johar for motivating him both on and off-screen. “Whatever Karan said to me, the comments were so heartfelt. Whatever he said on and off the record, always motivated me to give my best,” he says. We try to ask him if Karan has any plans to launch him in Bollywood, like the way he did with the previous season’s contestant Siddharth Shukla. But Ashish simply smiles and dismisses the question.
The last episode of his show Rangrasiya aired this weekend. Telling us about the show that gave him immense popularity for his role as Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat, he says, “I miss everything about the show. It has been one of the best projects of my career. It was such a satisfying experience.” Fans of the show loved the chemistry between Ashish and co-star Sanaya Irani. The two had too many intense and passionate romantic scenes that were talked about a lot. Recalling that, the actor says with a laugh, “I know fans really love our chemistry.
What they don’t know is that during the passionate scenes we would find it tough to control our laughter. If they had visited the sets, they would see how we would be laughing like crazy off-screen and before performing those intimate scenes onscreen. So we would actually look away from each other while filming those sequences.”
There are rumours that Ashish has already signed a new show on the same channel. But Ashish says, “I’m not even thinking about work right now. I totally deserve a long holiday, I plan to travel a lot in the coming months.” But won’t fans be disappointed with his long absence? “They can look forward to me being back with a bang but I don’t know when that will happen.”
