Sham Mashalkar:   I met Ridhiema around 10 years ago when Sasural Genda Phool 1 had started!

Sasural Genda Phool 2 actor Sham Mashalkar says he was never interested in doing a nine-to-five job.
“My role in Sasural Genda Phool 2 is Ilesh. In this story there are Ishaan and Ilesh, Ishaan is Jay Soni and Ilesh is myself and Inder is Jiten. It’s a very good role. In Sasural Genda Phool 1 it was shown that I did not have any work. I just used to eat and sleep and peel vegetables, but in this season me and Rajni Bhabhi have opened up a new cafe and there are many shades to him. He likes all the housework, but doesn’t like to go on the job. The thinking of this character is quite different and I like it a lot,” he said.
“I am also similar to this character in real life because a nine-to-five job never attracted me. This industry always attracted me and somewhere I find myself in the character of Ilesh. I find Ilesh and Sham to be similar. I am an automobile engineer, but I never did anything in that. Therefore, I find similarity in this because Ilesh also is never attracted to a nine-to-five job. From the upcoming episodes, we would come to know what would happen after the opening of the cafe. In the first season, Ilesh went to jail and his wife Disha used to earn but Ilesh never earned anything,” he added.
He thinks that there are many scenes in the show that people relate to.  In the first season of the show, one AC was set up in Ishaan and Suhana’s room and there were 4 episodes on that because at that time everyone was discussing whether the AC was needed or not. “Today also in the lives of middle-class people, if they want to buy a new car or AC, many things are discussed for about a week. Therefore, many people can relate with it because today also in joint families people put their stake and help others if they need anything. This show is very close to my heart. Around 15th April, the shooting was done and me and Jay Soni cried like kids. This show is close to everybody as any scene if you pick up and see, you can relate to it,” he said.
Once he attended a Star Plus party when Uday Shankar was the CEO of the channel. “Back then the first season was at peak and at that time I met him. He told me that he loved my character Ilesh because there was a time when he himself was like Ilesh and I said, ‘hope my future is as bright as yours.’ He just loved my line. Ilesh is very close to me. The Happy Club in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is very close to me,” he said.
On working with Ridhiema Tiwari, he shared, “She is a very good friend of mine. About 12-14 years ago, I had done one advertisement for LG mobile with her husband in Pune.  I met Ridhiema around 10 years ago when Sasural Genda Phool 1 had started, but at that time I never felt that I was meeting a new person. She is free and frank. She is a very kind and good-hearted person. She is extremely very helpful.”

He loves working with her. “She has faced many ups and downs in her life and one thing that inspired me the most about her was that she stood strong even though she faced many problems in her personal life. She is known as a unique and great actress in this industry. The pair of Ilesh and Disha has always been romantic though the husband doesn’t work, Disha loves him a lot. I love their chemistry on-screen and off-screen,” he said.
As for his profession, if not an actor he would have become a pilot. “I had an interest in aeronautical engineering. Since I am from Solapur, aeronautics wasn’t there. Many people joke with me that I used to love staying on-air, but as an actor, I have never stayed on-air and never will because I know the loop holes and the advantages and disadvantages of acting life,” he said.