Sidharth Shukla: To find yourself employed in such times is a blessing

Sidharth Shukla

A year after he announced his foray into digital entertainment with Broken...But Beautiful 3, all eyes are on Sidharth Shukla as he recently dropped the trailer of the love story. In the ALTBalaji creation, he takes centre-stage as Agastya Rao, a renowned theatre director who gets more than he bargained for when he gets involved with his colleague, Rumi. Will it live up to the expectations brought on by the success of the first two seasons? That, Shukla believes, is a question for another time.

For now, he is grateful to be working during the pandemic. "To find yourself employed in such trying times is a blessing. We managed to shoot in the midst of the first wave. The best part was that we filmed at length for a couple of months, and nobody on the set contracted the virus. We had a big unit," he shares.

Sidharth Shukla and Sonia Rathee in Broken...But Beautiful 3

His legion of fans will tell you how they swooned over his goody-two-shoes characters in Balika Vadhu and Dil Se Dil Tak. But Shukla is happy to note that Agastya is made from a different mould. "I have always played subtle and good-boy characters who are righteous. But Agastya is arrogant, opinionated and rebellious. He puts his point forward and doesn't care about what the other person thinks. I relate to him. After what people have seen of me on my last show [Bigg Boss 13], I am sure they don't think of me as subtle and quiet," laughs the Bigg Boss 13 winner.

Taking on the mantle from Vikrant Massey and Harleen Sethi, who led the much-loved first two seasons, comes with its share of responsibilities. Shukla admits he is a ball of nervous energy as he says, "Broken... is a great franchise to be a part of, for my OTT debut. When this project came my way, I loved the narration. I was a bit of nervous because it's a new platform for me; [I was worried] about how people will perceive it, and whether they will accept it. [That said], I am confident about the product."

For rank newcomer Sonia Rathee, who plays the leading lady in the Priyanka Ghose-directed series, the last few months have been a dream come true. "I did two to four rounds of auditions before I bagged the role. I feel lucky to have landed this show. Rumi has a complex relationship with her parents and sister. She is also trying to figure out her life goals. I could strongly relate to her as I am in my 20s and trying to figure out [the road ahead]."

Also Read: 'Broken But Beautiful 3': Priya Malik dedicates heart-touching poem to the show