Exclusive - Reem Sheikh on age gap between Karan Kundrra, Gashmeer Mahajani and her: Shah Rukh Khan works with Deepika Padukone and people still accept it, why question TV stars?

Reem Shaikh, who recently returned to television with Tere Ishq Mein Ghayal has been overwhelmed with the response coming her way for the show. Reem spoke to ETimes TV recently about having her own share of struggles during her journey and revealed that she was rejected several times in the industry. The young actress also opened up about the age difference between her and her two lead actors Karan Kundrra and Gashmeer Mahajani. Reem stated that if Shah Rukh Khan can romance Deepika Padukone in Bollywood why can't it happen on it. (Photo: Instagram)

I am having a great time shooting for the show as I am doing something different. I am challenging myself everyday on the sets and as an actor I am getting to explore my acting skills. Be it the dialogues, the way we are shooting the show or the concept, everything is different. We are shooting the show in an international format and very web like. (Photo: Instagram)

I am grateful to my fans because they have always supported me. Exactly a year ago around the same time, I was doing a press conference of my show, Fanaa: Ishq Mein Marjawan and it was a finite series and exactly after a year I am again working with the same channel, doing something different. It is their love that has blessed me in the last 13 years and has made me reach where I am today. (Photo: Instagram)

Honestly, I don’t know why it is so much discussed when it happens on television, because in Bollywood it has been happening for the longest time. I can still see Shah Rukh Khan working with Alia Bhatt who have a huge age gap between them, but people accept that. Viewers go to a cinema hall to watch Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone or Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif who have huge age differences. So if it can happen in Bollywood why can’t it be done in television? There are scripts which require male leads as macho men and everyone knows girls mature faster than boys and hence there is this age gap. It happens in both the film and television industry. I don’t find it weird because I have grown up watching it in Bollywood. I understand that it might sound weird to some audiences but I can only say here that if it can happen in Bollywood why can’t it happen in the television industry. As far as Tere Ishq Mein Ghayal is concerned both Karan and Gashmeer’s age in the show is 200 years so it was necessary to cast mature men because that is the concept of the show. (Photo: Instagram)

No, there has been no inhibition as they are my seniors and I get to learn a lot from them. I have worked with many senior actors and it started when I began my journey at 6 in the TV industry. Be it Raabta, Fanaa or this show, I have got to work with many popular and senior actors, directors and few things which I might have got to learn 5/6 years later I got to learn early in my life. So, it has benefitted me only and I feel every human being has a kid inside them and when they work with younger people that energy and lively nature shows. (Photo: Instagram)

No, there has been no inhibition as they are my seniors and I get to learn a lot from them. I have worked with many senior actors and it started when I began my journey at 6 in the TV industry. Be it Raabta, Fanaa or this show, I have got to work with many popular and senior actors, directors and few things which I might have got to learn 5/6 years later I got to learn early in my life. So, it has benefitted me only and I feel every human being has a kid inside them and when they work with younger people that energy and lively nature shows. (Photo: Instagram)

I am very grateful for the journey I’ve had. Just a few weeks ago I completed 13 years in the industry and it feels great. Honestly, I started off with no plans and I didn’t even know where I would land up or which way my career would go. Not that my parents also knew. But the positivity that I’ve inside me and I always try to keep myself as grounded as possible. I never let stardom or popularity enter my head. (Photo: Instagram)

I had my share of struggles and along with that I got to work with beautiful people in my whole journey. My entire journey has been an unpredictable one. There were times when I had visualised a few projects but it did not turn out that way. I have also been rejected quite a few times. It's not like I have always got projects back to back. One thing that my parents have taught me and I have always believed in strongly is that I accept the failures that come to me and I learn from them. It’s not like I don’t cry or be disheartened and sometimes even like giving up but the strength within me makes me gather myself back and prove myself. (Photo: Instagram)

Honestly, I don’t believe in mediums and I don’t plan anything. Because I am a person who wants to do other things apart from acting. Like I write and I wish to be a writer someday, I do write but it is not something that I can flaunt about right now. It is in the initial stage and universe and god has been very kind to me, I am just leaving everything to the universe. (Photo: Instagram)

Wherever I get to prove my acting skills and get good scripts, I’ll work there. There is no such thing for me that I’ll only do films, TV or web. I always look for different scripts and we work for 365 days so sometimes monotony enters our lives and to break that we need different scripts, mediums and platforms. It helps break the creative blockage. That’s why I keep doing something or the other like a short film, music video or social media assignments just to not have a creative blockage in my mind. Agar upar waale ki Dua Aur fans ki blessings rahi toh films bhi kar lenge. (Photo: Instagram)