Sharad Malhotra: I thought I would become the next SRK, but my film career flopped miserably

After the recent tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput by suicide, the focus has been on mental health, especially in showbiz. Sharad Malhotra admits that he, too, has suffered from depression in the past. Sharad made his television debut with the show Banoo Main Teri Dulhann back in 2006. He soon became a household name and even bagged films, but could not make a mark in Bollywood. He says, “After my shows became hits, I was under this notion that I would become the next Shah Rukh Khan.I starred in two films — From Sydney with Love and Ek Tera Saath — and both were huge flops. I felt like my dreams were shattered. I found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that my films did not work. That was the worst phase of my life because I had already stopped thinking of doing TV shows.”
Sharad, who was last seen in 'Musakaan', said, “For four years, I kept away from everyone. Eventually, I turned towards spirituality, meditated daily and focused on exercising. It took me another two years to muster enough courage and gather confidence to look for work.”
The actor admits that he prefers to be a big fish in a pond than be a small fish in the sea. “I finally understood what television had given me and decided to try my luck there and TV welcomed me again,” he adds.
But he hasn’t given up on the idea of films. He says, “I have realised that success and failure keep happening. It should not be the end of the road or life. I learnt that one needs to be extremely patient and mentally strong, because there are so many rejections that we face every day, which can be disturbing. Hence, I feel no one has a right to pass judgement over Sushant’s death. We don’t know what was going on in his mind. It took me four years to face the world and only I know what my mental situation was during that period. I am happy that I recovered and am back to living a happy life again,” he ends.