Actor Shaleen Malhotra, who played the lead role in ‘Laado — Veerpur Ki Mardani’, is back in action after two years. He has been roped in to play Varun Badola’s daughter’s love interest in ‘Mere Dad Ki Dulhan’. Talking about bagging the part, Shaleen says, “I had auditioned for it in March, but the track was put on hold. They approached me again in April and asked me to send an audition clip from home. Fortunately, everything fell into place.”
The actor has seen some tough times in the last two years; his house was burnt down following a short circuit, and he had to almost start life from scratch. He shares, “I had to move into a new home and buy all the necessary appliances and furniture all over again. I survived because of the money I had made from a few commercials and my savings. I am not someone who breaks down easily, and that was one of the few times when I went down on my knees and howled alone in the washroom and cried my heart out. I was going through a financial crunch, but I was grateful that my family and pets were safe.”
And as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Shaleen started looking for work more aggressively. However, nothing materialised. He recounts, “Jab kismat saath nahi deti toh kuchh nahi hota hai. After ‘Laado 2’, I didn’t get the kind of work I wanted to be a part of. Besides, some of the projects I was offered failed to materialise. From wanting to do only lead roles after ‘Arjun’, I reached a point where I was willing to take up even a character role or do cameo appearances. I was in dire need of money to run my house and I just wanted to get back to work. I was desperately looking to get back, but nothing worked out. So many people turned their back on me. The phase made me realise that it is a thankless industry and I learnt it the hard way. I am a changed person today and tougher, too. Fortunately, my patience paid off and I am returning as a hero again. We should count our blessings and stay positive.”
