She is probably one of the very few actresses with both beauty and talent. The name is Sanjeeda Sheikh, who started off her acting career in a south film but gradually found her way to the small screen. Starting off with Ekta Kapoor's Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka which had her playing the title role, she followed it up with Kayamath and the recent Jaane Pehchaane Se Ye Ajnabbi. She is currently exercising her funny bone in Hi! Padosi…Kaun Hai Doshi. In an industry, where most actors vanish after their one big role, Sanjeeda has managed to get lead parts. Reality shows like Nach Baliye and Zara Nachke Dikha too have given her the much-required recognition. In a relationship with the handsome Aamir Ali, Sanjeeda talks roles, dreams and why she thinks she is fortunate to have Aamir in her life with TellyChakkar. Do you identify with the role you are currently playing? Yes. It’s a young character, so I feel great to be playing it. She is dumb but very sweet, bubbly and upfront. I am very bubbly in real life too. Do your fans recognize you by your real name? All my fans know me as Sanjeeda. I always wanted that as when you are doing television it leaves such an impact on people that they always remember you by your character names. Like I played Nimmo in Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka, Isha both in Kayamath and in Jaane Pehchaane Se Ye Ajnabbi but I think the reality shows that I did helped me reclaim my name, made me popular. Did Nach Baliye help you get that? Yes, people starting knowing me by my name. There are a very few actors on TV who are recognized by their names. Like even today, people know Smriti Irani as Tulsi so I think reality shows have helped me big time. It’s been a long journey from acting in a south Indian movie to Hindi serials. You were to do a Bollywood film too? I really can’t talk about it. I was doing a movie with UTV and a lot of UTV films are on hold. So, I will talk about it once the film is to release. We have finished the shooting but still waiting for the release. Is there any genre you’re looking forward to do? TV does not have much scope so you cannot decide what you want to do. There wouldn’t be a producer who would come ahead and produce a show for me according to my liking. I would want to do a role like Rani Mukherjee’s in Black but on television, I won’t get that opportunity. So the best way to keep yourself happy is do your best with whatever you get and are convinced with. I have done comedy (Nimmo), a negative character in Kayamath and a positive one in Jaane Pehchaane and now I am doing Hi! Padosi, a comedy, so I think I enjoy comedy, it comes naturally to me. In Jaane Pehchaane you replaced the lead (Aditi Tailang) and a lot of her fans were against you? It is very obvious because everyone has their own fan following and so if someone replaces someone it’s bound to affect the fans. But that’s not my lookout. I wanted to work with Cinevistaas and they called me. Actually I just wanted to experiment then because I was too stuck with Balaji then as my other two shows before that were with Balaji. So I wanted to work outside Balaji. The experience was amazing. So will you take up a Balaji show if you’re offered one? Yes, I haven’t left Balaji on a bad note. They had offered me Tere Liye but I couldn’t do it because I was doing something else. They had offered me a parallel lead but I did not want to do any negative characters too. In television, everything is very limited so there is a lead and if another girl comes in a guy’s life she is the negative character. You have to keep killing, fighting but I think I was too tired of doing a negative character for two years in Kayamath. Do you feel you have grown as an actor? I grow as an actor everyday with every scene because no one teaches you in this field. I have realized I enjoy acting. I think I cannot stay without acting and dancing now. Are you open to do other reality shows like a Bigg Boss or a Khatron Ke Khiladi? I cannot do a show like Bigg Boss. I am friendly but I cannot stay with a bunch of strangers, for sure. I love watching the show but I cannot be in their place. It gets out the bad in you. Maybe I am a good girl and the audience knows me that way but the show will surely show me in the negative light. I can never do something like Fear Factor too because I am scared of heights, I cannot swim because I am scared of water and I cannot eat insects either but I love watching it. So that leaves me with dance shows. Any plans of getting married? I do not plan things. It is going to happen but I don’t know when. So, I am definitely getting married to Aamir (Ali), for he’s the guy. Does having someone in life make things a lot more sorted? Yes, it does sort things out emotionally and mentally because in today’s world to get a nice guy is really difficult. Like I have beautiful friends who are still single because they aren’t finding a nice guy! He has to be good looking, financially secure and a good person so to find all these qualities in one man can become difficult. I think I am really lucky to have someone like that. What are your plans for future? I do not plan. I live for today and that is how I have been all my life.