Shaleen Malhotra to play Varun Badola’s reel daughter’s love interest in ‘Mere Dad Ki Dulhan’

In a bid to recover lost ground owing to the three-month shutdown in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the makers of TV shows are tweaking their storylines and introducing new characters. One such show is ‘Mere Dad Ki Dulhan’, which features Shweta Tiwari and Varun Badola in lead roles. The production house has now roped in actor Shaleen Malhotra of ‘Arjun’ fame to play Rishi, the parallel lead. He will be paired opposite Anjali Tatrari, who plays Varun Badola’s daughter on the show.

Shaleen, whose last daily soap outing was ‘Laado — Veerpur Ki Mardani’ two years ago, says, “As cliched as it may sound, this is actually different from all the characters I have portrayed so far. I have mostly played raw and brooding roles exuding masculinity. However, Rishi is a charmer and a smooth talker. He is a businessman, who knows how to get his work done. It’s challenging, because I haven’t portrayed such a character before and it’s not as easy to play as it seems.”

This is the first time the actor is joining a show midway and he agrees that it’s a daunting task to establish oneself. He says, “When you are part of a show since its inception, you get to spend a lot of time with the cast and crew, and forge a bond with them. In this case, I won’t get that time. The actors know each other and get along really well. So, to enter that equation will be challenging.”

Talking about returning to a daily soap after a gap of two-and-a-half years, he says, “I am really excited to get back to a TV set, as it’s been a long break. I am glad that the offer has come to me at a time when we have resumed work. The show has a lot of good actors. I have always believed that an actor learns by either watching good actors or working with them. Here, I get to do both. Varun Badola is an experienced and exceptionally talented actor, and I am looking forward to learning a few things from him. That’s what I always do and I am excited about working with the entire team.”