Same same but different?

Is Shaleen Bhanot’s role in Do Hanson Ka Joda similar to SRK’s in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi?

The pictures to your right at least indicate the same. Shaleen Bhanot, once known as the winner of Nach Baliye Season 4, will be seen playing a chartered accountant from a small town in Do Hanson Ka Joda. Bhanot’s character in the show, that will go on air on NDTV Imagine in January, has striking similarities to Shah Rukh Khan’s character in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

When told the former Roadies winner, he refused to believe that there were any similarities. “A simple sober guy, in his late 20s or early 30s, who leads an average middle class working life with plenty of responsibilities and no social life would look the way I look like in this show,” he explains. When prodded further, he says that the story was different from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. “Coincidentally, Shah Rukh and I may be looking the same. But our stories are very different. In Rab Ne.. Suri marries Tani because of certain circumstances and then woos her. Here, it’s a different game,” says Bhanot, adding that his wife Daljeet, is most excited about the show.

Over the year, there were various rumours about Bhanot having gone into depression as his fiancé Daljeet had quit the relationship for a better guy. But when asked, he laughed and said, “The reason I kept quiet even after reading the rumours was that I wanted to clear everything off without saying a word in the press. And look, Daljeet and I got married early this month. We’ll be off to our honeymoon soon. So, all those rumours have been put to rest.”

The last show that Bhanot acted in was Sangam on Star Plus, which went off air last year. Isn’t out of sight out of mind? Bhanot disagrees. Reason: the actor wants to do one show at a time and do justice to his part instead of jumping from one set to another. “I prefer doing different kinds of roles. None of my characters in the shows so far have been repeats. It’s wise I guess to keep yourself busy with other things till something concrete doesn’t come your way. I chose this show because of the production house involved. Rajshri is a good place to grow up,” he says.

Didn’t winning Nach Baliye and Roadies help him forward his career? Bhanot says no, once again, and explains that they took him two steps higher but didn’t push his career too much. “They are both different concepts. One brought out the fighter and the other, the dancer. But they didn’t further my career. They added to my body of work though,” he smiles.

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