Pavitra Rishta 2: Shaheer Sheikh reveals why he agreed to play Sushant Singh Rajput’s role of Manav

The second season of the popular TV show ‘Pavitra Rishta,’  featuring actors Ankita Lokhande and Shaheer Sheikh was announced on Sunday. The 2009 show, backed by Ekta Kapoor, became a sensation, making late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Lokhande a household name. The ZEE TV show found immense popularity for its romance and the pairing of Singh and Lokhande, who played Manav and Archana respectively. It ran for five years and clocked 1424 episodes. Now that Sushant is no more, the role of Manav will be reprised by Shaheer. Taking to his social media handle on Tuesday, the actor opened up about the reason why he said yes to step into SSR’s shoes and play the lead role of Manav.

Shaheer penned down a long note that read, “When I was first approached for PR2, I was taken aback. Who in their right frame of mind, would dare to play a character immortalised by Sushant Singh Rajput..I too was reluctant. Then I thought, knowing Sushant he was one to take every challenge head on. And so I decided that while it is scary to step into his shoes & live upto audience expectations… it is scarier to NOT even try. And so I did what I felt he would do, if he was in my position. I took the challenge. When the team told me they wanted someone who was earnest so that we could all tell a story that was a fitting homage to Sushant’s legacy… I decided to give it my all and leave the rest to the audiences and to The All Mighty.

Working with a team that loved & respected him immensely only adds to the genuine intent in all our hearts. Sushant, you will always be Manav. Nothing can change that & no one can replace that. I may not be as good, and I may not do justice to it like you did, but I promise to give it my ALL. #pavitrarishta2.”

The official Instagram account of ALTBalaji posted a picture of Lokhande, 36, and Sheikh from the show’s shoot. “Sometimes in most ordinary lives, we find the most extraordinary love stories. Witness the extraordinary love story of Manav and Archana. ‘Pavitra Rishta’ begins filming. Streaming soon on ALTBalaji,” the caption read. Sesson two of the show is titled “Pavitra Rishta…it’s never too late”.

While Lokhande will continue to essay the role of Archana, Sheikh, 37, has come on board to portray the character of Manav. Actor-turned-producer Bhairavi Raichura’s 24 Frames Production will helm the digital series which will be exclusively available on ZEE5 for 55 days following which, it will also be available on ALTBalaji.

The series will be directed by Nandita Mehra and written by Nikita Dhond, Gautam Hegde and Ritu Bhatia. Apart from Lokhande and Singh, who passed away last year, “Pavitra Rishta” also featured Hiten Tejwani, Asha Negi, Rithvik Dhanjani and Karan Veer Mehra.

While actor Usha Nadkarni will be returning as Savita Deshmukh (Manav’s mother), other cast members are yet to be announced.

-With PTI inputs