Balaji Telefilms always have blue eyed boys whom they promote to the hilt. First it was Hiten Tejwani, then Eijaaz Khan and after that Iqbal Khan. All of them made it big on the small screen. Definitely they had talent, but Balaji Telefilms also played a major role in scripting their success story. The latest kid- on- the- block to follow this path is Sushant Singh Rajput, better known as Manav in Pavitra Rishta and Preet in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil on Star Plus. TellyChakkar spoke to him about his past, present and future. Excerpts from an interview. On his background… I am from Delhi and was born and brought up there in a family of five siblings – four sisters and me. Since I was the youngest one, I was pampered a lot. But there were a lot of strict rules in our family about studies. No matter how much I was pampered, there was no bending of rules when it came to studying. Since most of our family members were engineers or doctors, I too was indirectly forced into engineering. After my plus two, I cleared the entrance exam and joined the Delhi Engineering College in the chemical stream. I even got a scholarship for my studies. On his entry in the glamour world… Till joining the engineering college everything was fine. But things took a different turn when I went to watch Shiamak Davar’s show in Delhi. I got interested and joined his troupe as a dancer. That was my first step in the glamour world. Since I used to love dancing, I started getting more and more involved in this. Shiamak noticed this and started giving me opportunities to perform on stage with him. My first performance was in the Commonwalth Games in Australia. On his first performance… It was truly a memorable one. I had to go to Australia along with Shiamak Davar’s troupe and got an opportunity to dance with Aishwarya Rai. Everyone praised my performance and even Shiamak mentioned that I should move to Mumbai if I wanted to make a career in the glamour world. After returning to Delhi, I got myself enrolled in a Barry John theatre class. My studies were suffering and it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage both worlds. I had to take a decision of either continuing my engineering or take a chance in the glamour world. And you all know by now what I chose. On coming to Mumbai… I made the decision and came to Mumbai, lock, stock and barrel in July, 2007. Due to some reasons, instead of Shiamak Davar, I had to join another choreographer – Ashley Lobo, who went on to choreograph Dhoom 2. I started my dance classes with him and also participated in some shows. I have also learnt martial arts from Allan and Amin. I also started assisting Mohit Suri during the making of Raaz 2. I wanted to become a film director then. I enjoyed the experience a lot and learned a lot from him. In fact, I got so interested in filmmaking that I almost got myself enrolled in New York Film Academy for a course on filmmaking. I was all set to fly when I got the offer from Balaji. On his first break in television… In Mumbai I also joined Nadira Babbar’s theatre group. I started working on various plays with her daughter Juhi Babbar. In one such play, where I was performing for an NGO, a production executive from Balaji saw me and liked my performance. He got in touch with me and asked me to come over for an audition. That is how I got the role of Preet in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil. Though my character was not the male lead, it did get a lot of footage because of the popularity. I am grateful to Ekta Kapoor for giving me the opportunity. On Preet versus Manav… Manav is a simple guy who works in a garage and comes from a lower middle class background. His sole aim is to earn bread for his family and keep them happy. Preet on the other hand is just the opposite. He comes from a traditionally rich background and wants to live life king size. I did have some problems in essaying both the characters. Initially , a lot of my Preet mannerisms was unintentionally coming into my acting even while I was playing Preet’s role. Ekta noticed this, briefed me separately and asked me to pack-up and work and think about both the roles separately. I did that and next day it was all ok. I had separate mannerisms for Preet and Manav. To make sure that I got it right, I even visited a garage close to my place and spent time with the mechanics there to ensure I got the mannerisms right. Manav is much more challenging for an actor and I am loving it. On his reel-life marriage with Ankita in Pavitra Rishta… I have been hearing a lot about the plans to do this on a grand scale. I have also been told that Ekta ji is getting personally involved during this track. Apparently there will be ads plastered all over the city and it will be big both on and off sets. I am waiting for this to happen! On his real-life love story… Yes, I am in a relationship. But I would like to keep her identity a secret. She is a model and we have been seeing each other for more than two and a half years now. We plan to get married once we get settled in our individual careers a bit more. On his future plans… I have got a lot from my fans and the industry. In two and a half years, I never thought of reaching this level. I want to return the favour by performing better than the best. If some day I decide to stop working in television, I will pack my bags and fly off to New York to complete my course at the Film Academy.