Reach Of `Balika Vadhu` worked for me, says Siddharth Shukla

Mumbai: Television actor Siddharth Shukla says he did other shows, but ‘Balika Vadhu’ has been a turning point in his career.

In the show, he plays Shiv, who is married to protagonist Anandi. "It has been a turning point. I also feel that shows, which I had otherwise done, those characters have been loved. But the whole viewership of `Balika Vadhu` is more than all shows of mine put together. The show has a lot of reach and that has worked for me," he told reporters. Siddharth has been part of shows like "Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na", "Jaane Pehchaane Se Ye Ajnabbi", "Love U Zindagi". Initially, he was nervous about working on the show with the cast which has already carved a niche for themselves. He made his entry in the show as a government officer who falls in love with Anandi, who has been divorced by her first husband Jagdish, and eventually marries her. "It had put a lot of pressure on me when I started. Also, I wasn`t there from the start of the show. Everyone was set and huge in star value. I was nowhere close to them as actor. There was a lot of pressure. But those people were so welcoming and never made me feel inferior," he said. Shukla will be seen showing his dancing skills on the dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ and takes it as a crash course in dance. "I love to dance, but the flip side is that I can`t dance. It took me a while to get convinced whether I should be a part of it or not," said the actor who already has "a lot" on his plate. "I am doing a show for which I have to shoot regularly. But then I knew that I will never get a chance to just learn dance and this is going to be an amazing crash course. Since it is a competition, you would try to do it perfectly," he added. Talking about his experience on the sets of ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’, the actor added: "I am not a dancer and for me, to learn the art is fun. It gives you the confidence that you can dance. But then you have to do different forms every time." ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ going on air June 1. IANS