Sushant Singh Rajput on his emotional return to his roots

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…On Tuesday, Sushant Singh Rajput returned to the serial 'Pavitra Rishta'. Sushant was a part of the long-running soap for 2 1/2 years playing the protagonist Manav before he quit, thereby breaking countless female hearts.

The actor who has since then moved to cinema to become one of the sought-after actors in Bollywood says returning to 'Pavitra Rishta' was like home-coming. "This is where it all started. This is where my journey began. I carried a part of my character Maanav with me even when I moved on. When I was invited to be part of the serial's final episode I immediately jumped at it without a second thought. To be a part of the farewell episode of the serial that I look back on with such fondness is a privilege and honour."

The home-coming, as Sushant calls it, was very emotional for both Sushant and his girlfriend Ankita Lokhande. "She has been a part of 'Pavitra Rishta' much longer than me. Now that we shot the last episode, Ankita has been very emotional for the past few days. It is very difficult for her to tear herself away from something that has been part of her life for nearly five years."

Sushant admits Ankita was a big incentive for his return to 'Pavitra Rishta' for a final hurrah. "This is where it all started. My career, and more importantly my relationship with Ankita started with 'Pavitra Rishta'. It's significant that the serial is called that because my rishta with this serial is very pavitra."

In no way does Sushant feel a television appearance to be a climbdown in his stardom. "If I felt that I wouldn't have been there on Tuesday shooting for Pavitra Rishta. In no way do I feel television is a smaller medium. For me the size of the screen doesn't matter. I just need to be in front of camera. And you know what? Even if there is no camera and you tell me to act I'll still give a hundred percent of my concentration to the shot."

Sushant sees no difference between the film and television medium. "We must stop looking at television as a stepping-stone to cinema. Look at America. Some of their biggest stars are products of television."

Saying no to the final episode of 'Pavitra Rishta' was out of question for Sushant for another reason. "I owe my acting career to producer Ekta Kapoor. If she had not given me a break in 'Pavitra Rishta' I wouldn't have been an actor. Shooting for the last time for the serial was a very emotional experience for me."

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more