TOI: Everyone recognises n praises me-Faisal

He shot to fame after winning 'DID Li'l Masters 2'. Life took quite a turn when Mumbai boyFaisal Khan, who studies in class IX, won a million hearts with his cute smile andspectacular dance steps. The young gun is all set to make his acting debut on the small screen as the young lead in the historical show, 'Maharana Pratap'. In a hearty chat with TOI, Faisal opens up about his love for acting, and how things are gradually falling in place.

Ask him how life has changed after winning a dance reality show and Faisal replies, "Pehle log mujhe jaante nahi the aur jo jaante the wo bhi zyada puchte nahi the. Now everyone recognizes me and appreciates my dance wherever I go."

Ask him about his switch to acting and Faisal says, "It has always been my dream to become an actor. That is one thing I am very passionate about apart from dancing. I feel very lucky that I have been selected for such a big role for my very first show and I hope people will like me." Ask him if he got butterflies in his stomach before his shoot and he says, "I am preparing for the show. I have to speak shuddh Hindi for this role and not the easy Hindi that we speak regularly (I've to speak words like avashya, etc.). I need to have certain attitude to get into the skin of the character, as Maharana Pratap, like we all know, was a brave fighter and a well-known historical figure. Even carrying off the costumes well is important. Plus we began shooting in Rajasthan (Jaisalmer) and it is very hot there at this time of the year, bahot zyada garmi thi. Still shooting was fun, I even learnt horse-riding." But Faisal makes it a point to show his love for dance as he quickly adds in his Mumbaiya Hindi, "Mera dancing kabhi nahi chhutega. I know I will not get to dance in this show but I am going to continue dancing otherwise."

The young actor is enjoying the new phase of his life and this is evident when he speaks about acting. "Right now my vacations are going on so I don't have to worry much about balancing my work and studies. Even after my vacations are over, I will manage," he says. But when he is not acting or dancing, Faisal adds yet another skill to his creative list. He laughs and says, "I like to sing; though my voice is not very good. But I look up to Hrithik Roshan. He is a great actor,fantastic dancer and can sing too. I idolize him and hope I will be like him one day."