Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty stump fans at interactive session

In a stark contrast to the usual filmy Q&A sessions, Athiya Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi, the new star kids who debut in the Bollywood film Hero, stumped their fans with spontaneity and modesty during an interactive session with the mid-day's Bollywood contest winners.

Athiya Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi

mid-day's 'Meet-n-greet the stars' event gives the contest winners a chance to come face to face, ask questions and maybe even click selfies with their favorite stars. The lucky readers had a pleasant evening with Athiya accompanied with Sooraj.

Amid the brisk questioning from their fans, the duo at one moment turned the tables to the opposite side, Athiya began asking questions to her fans about their dreams and aspirations, while Sooraj enquired the male fans about their workouts. The fans were, in just one word - floored!

The cast of Hero meets fans

It is pertinent to note that despite having done numerous promotional events for their debut film, Hero, the actor kept the enthusiasm alive and didn't let monotony sink in, instead the duo looked grounded, took the questions at ease and made the contestants feel at home.

Sakshee Sharmaa, a contest winner asked them if it not in films, which alternate professions they would have chosen? To which Sooraj replied, "My love has been martial arts. I have had training in Boxing and Taekwondo in Manipur." To this Athiya's answer was, "Maybe I could have been into Fashion designing. But I always cherished the dream to be an actor, as you are aware, acting runs in my blood."

Athiya and Sooraj watching the movie

Another contest winner Sohel Isani asked if they were nervous as this is the first time they are coming on screen to which Sooraj and Athiya very modestly confided, " Not nervous. We are very nervous". This contestant had come all the way from distant suburbs just to see Athiya Shetty.

When asked about the toughest moment during the shoots, Sooraj mentioned that it was the dance sequence with laser lights. When a fan posed the question to him, about how long he has been working on his body, he said it is the result of his rigorous training since ten years.

Anand Kumar and Girish Wankhede

On being asked to say one thing about their co-star, Sooraj mentioned, " Athiya is very grounded like her dad Mr Suniel Shetty." Athiya confessed that she was in awe of Sooraj's athletic built right from the moment she first saw him.

On an ending note, the duo was asked to mention who was their real hero? Athiya immediately responded, "Its my nani. She is so strongwilled and has clear cut thoughts. I look up to her with awe". Sooraj's answer was the typical filmy type - "Its my mom. She takes all the care to cook and sees to it that I have a very controlled and prescribed diet. You know what? At times, my mom used to cook seven meals a day for me. I am really blessed," he ended on an emotional note.

Amy Jackson and Claudia Ciesla

"It's a great feeling that mid-day gives its readers an opportunity to have close encounters with heart throb Bollywood celebs. More than the thrill of winning the contest, this was the wonderful hour of my life. I would say it is really my dream come true," said another contest winner, Ishali Nair.

Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty play leading roles in the film Hero which released this friday. At the premier show of the film on Thursday evening, Athiya sweetly announced, "On behalf of Sooraj and me, I heartily thank mid-day
for its support to our film and encouragement to both of us."