If Mumbai was not the entertainment hub, I wouldn't be here : Sufi Malhotra

Reality show stars finding their way into daily soaps is a growing phenomenon. Cases in point: Vishal Karwal, Mohit Malhotra, Twinkle Bajpai, Antara Mitra and their likes. The latest one to join the list is Roadies 6 finalist Sufi Malhotra. The handsome young guy is currently playing Yagya in Zee's Mera Naam Karegi Roshan and has been paired opposite Sana Sheikh. TellyChakkar spoke to Sufi about his transition from reality shows to daily soaps. How did you manage the transformation from being a model to an actor? I have done extensive modelling during my days in Delhi. I have walked the ramp and done print ads. Though I never thought of becoming an actor, I liked to dress up and design my own clothes and would love to perform when I was a teenager. When Roadies announced their sixth season, I joined the race. Through this show I traveled all over India which was a very good experience. Though I was voted out in the very first episode I was back as a wild card entry. Tell us something about the role of Yagya. I play a cop, very caring and protective about Reet (Sana). As you know the show is based on Ramayana, and I am playing a character based on Hanuman. In the serial, I am single and have lost my parents during the Babri Masjid riots. How did you bag this role? The writer of Mera Naam… Rahil Qaazi spotted me during the repeat telecast of Roadies and got in touch with me. The episodes he saw were shot in Australia and we had to fight with two professional wrestlers. Understandably, it was not a very good experience and I was badly injured after the show and had to go away on my crutches. I am yet to be compensated by MTV for that incident and the case is still going on. After this incident, the broadcasters refused to share my number with anyone so I really do not know how the producers of Mera Naam…got in touch. Initially I was a little reluctant as I was not keen on doing a daily soap. But after reading the script, I changed my mind as I felt the storyline was different. How has your experience been so far? This is my first exposure to daily soaps and I consider myself very lucky to part of this show. It has been an amazing experience. I had never thought I would be working with veterans like Vikram Gokhale, Yashpal Sharma and Lubna Salim. Especially Yashpal Sharma, who bails me out whenever I get stuck in a scene. He will explain the requirement of the scene and also clear my discomfort. I feel that is a great quality of a good and a senior actor. How does it feel to become a Mumbaikar after being a Delhiite all this while? I have studied and done a lot of modelling in Delhi, so I do have very fond memories of the place. The first thing which I like to mention is the lifestyle which is much more expensive in Mumbai than Delhi so I miss Delhi a lot! Since I still am a struggler, this matters a lot. I also miss the food in Delhi. If Mumbai was not the entertainment capital of India, I would not have come here.