`No one knew me before `Main Teri...``

New Delhi, Nov 08: He has been in showbiz for a decade, but before the popular series "Main Teri Parchhain Hoon" nobody even heard of TV actor Sameer Dharmadhikari`s name."Despite being in the advertising world for so long, people did not recognise me by name. They would recall the brand or the ad I was in but wouldn`t know my name. But thanks to `Main Teri...` I have got some recognition. I know this fame is going to last forever irrespective of the show`s life on small screen," Sameer told reporters in Mumbai.

"I have no regrets about it because fame comes when it has to come," he added. In the serial, Sameer plays a father of three kids and his life goes upside when his wife dies in an accident. Produced by Rajshri Productions, `Main Teri..." is aired on NDTV Imagine. Sameer also revealed that despite gaining recognition after a long struggle, he isn`t satisfied with his profession and yearns for more. "Though I am satisfied as a human being, I am not satisfied as an actor. There is a lot of work I have to do and a lot of roles that I have to perform. I`ve just started," he said. Getting into the character of a "middle class family man" was not difficult for the actor. "Though in real life I am more aggressive than my character Siddharth in the series, both of us are very family oriented and hold a lot of family values. So in some way I associate with my character in the show. It was difficult to get seasoned into it but it took less time as I had a great team with me." He made his debut as actor in 1999 with "Dil Kya Kare" and was then seen in duds like "Satta", "Agni Pankh" and "Raincoat". He did TV commercials for Green Label Whisky, Lifebuoy, Nescafe and Raymond. Not many know that Sameer is a mechanical engineer who took up acting to kill monotony in his life. "I was an engineer by profession. I was never into acting. It was my wife Aparna (now a cameraperson) who was into theatre and just to kill the monotony of the nine-to-five job, I took up theatre," said Sameer, who has been married for 15 years. Considering the range of extended dramas on the small screen, the actor doesn`t think "Main Teri..." compromises on content and credits the production house for the same. "Rajshri Productions makes sure that the content is fresh... of course, saas-bahu element is there in the story, but it`s more of a husband-wife and a father`s story. "In fact, that is the reason I immediately said yes as I wanted to do a show that I had never done... a show that had good content and would save me from doing the same thing again and again," he asserted. Apart from "Main Teri..." on TV that he says is "demanding too much time as of now", Sameer will also be seen in films like "Rang Rasiya" and "Control". He also has a pivotal role in Marathi film "Samantar" with Amol Palekar and Sharmila Tagore. IANS