By Ila Sankrityayan

Mumbai, Jul 19 (IANS): Ruhi Chaturvedi, who plays the antagonist Sherlyn Khurana in the popular soap "Kundali Bhagya", recalls her father's reaction when she got the offer long back.

"I remember when I got the offer, my father was sceptical about me taking up this character. Since it was a negative role, he felt I would get typecast and immediately said no. It took a while for me to convince him by saying that it was just a two-month cameo and at the end of the first month, the character would turn into a positive role before she exits the show. That's when he agreed to let me take the offer," Ruhi recalls.

The show has completed four years and 1,000 episodes but her role is still the same, though Ruhi loves her character. "I have come to realise that a negative character is a pivotal element for a positive character to succeed in a story. It's like Raavan tha isliye Ram bhi the (Ram exists because there was Raavan)," she reasons.

In the ongoing track Ruhi as Sherlyn has lost her child and is going through a rough patch, so are we going to see a change in her character?

The actress replies: "Right now there are not many changes. Of course, she (Sherlyn) is emotionally broken and has also become vulnerable. But soon she will figure out ways to take revenge. Viewers are going to see her have a few emotional breakdowns once in a while."

Ruhi's career spans from modelling to films and television. She finds her journey satisfying and comfortable. "The entire journey has been absolutely incredible. If I have to be honest, I actually did not face that many struggles while finding my way on television. I still remember that January 17, 2017 was my last fashion show in Jaipur. Post that I came back and told my parents that I didn't want to do fashion shows anymore and wanted to be a part of television," she recalls.

She goes on charting her journey: "On February 2, I began auditioning for various characters and by August 10 I was on air with a Balaji show. It was all really unbelievable because I had always heard stories of people struggling for years and facing rejections. I feel extremely blessed that way to have had an easy start and glad how things have turned up."

For Ruhi, acting is her ultimate passion and since childhood she used to admire Madhuri Dixit.

"I always wanted to be an actor as Madhuri Dixit used to stay in my building. As a child, I used to see quite a lot of films of hers and loved her performance. In fact, I have also visited different sets with her and that's how the inclination to pursue acting came within me. I would never have become anything else. This was the ultimate thing," she says.

After playing a negative role for a long time, Ruhi wants to play a mysterious character. "I would love to play a role like Vidya Balan in 'Kahaani'. Till the last frame, no-one knew what her character was about, and she was a very mysterious figure. Roles like that really intrigue me," she sums up.