I'm like a 'bahu' who pays back her ma-in law in same measure:Iqba

New Delhi, Aug 10 (UNI) His charming presence in popular television shows like 'Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai' and 'Choona Hai Aasman' have earned for him many a female for following across the country, and sobriquets like ''the Salman Khan or Shahrukh Khan of the small screen''.

Like these superstars of the big screen with whom he has often been compared, TV actor Iqbal Khan too has often found himself in the throes of controversies the most recent being his abrupt exit from the popular prime time show 'Choona Hai Aasman' on Star where he played the key role of Air Force office Abhimanyu Adhikari.

''I am like a 'bahu' (daughter-in-law) who, rather than bear with and tolerate bashing and abuse by her mother-in-law, gives her back in the same measure. Hence, my premature exit from shows like 'Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai' and, now, 'Choona Hai Aasman,''Iqbal Khan says.

Referring specifically to his exit from 'Choona Hai Aasman', Iqbal, clarifying that it was he who quit the show rather than he being asked to leave it, said,''Nobody can drop a responsible actor from a show. As for my exit from 'Choona..', I would only say that if you promise me a Mercedes and give me a Maruti instead, I will not drive it because, I have been working for a Mercedes and not the Maruti.

The show 'Choona Hai Aasman' was supposed to be on the Indian Air Force. One cannot cheat the audience by promising them a serial on the Indian Air Force and then not showing the Air Force in it.'' After 'Choona Hai Aasman', Iqbal is set to play the role of an underworld don in a new show 'Waaris', being aired on Zee TV since last week.

Being aired on Zee TV, from Monday to Thursday at 2300 hrs 'Waaris' is a family drama set in the backdrop of the underworld.

It is the story of an ageing mafia don Rudra Pratap Singh (Ashish Vidyarthi), his wife Yashodhara (Indira Krishnan) and his two sons, Shankar (Iqbal Khan) and Shaurya (Yuvraj Malhotra).

The story is about the search of the true 'waaris' (successor) to the position created by the senior don.

Talking about his role in 'Waaris', Iqbal said,''My character Shankar is a man of a few words. He loves his wife and worships his father. His problem is his anger and his father feels that because of his anger, he might get into trouble sometimes.'' Asked whether he felt he would be up to playing such a role, considering that it was far removed from his portrayals of a charming lover and a gallant Air Force officer in his earlier two shows, Iqbal said,''I don't say that I am a brilliant actor but I'd say I am a competent actor. There are certain characters I feel I can pull off and this is one of them.'' At a time when almost every actor on the small screen is part of one reality show or the other, Iqbal has not been seen in any of the dance or music reality shows on the telly.

Queried on this, Iqbal said,''First of all, I do not know how to dance. Secondly, in a reality show, a lot of one's personal life comes through and I am a very private kind of person.'' On whether, like his contemporary Rajeev Khandelwal, who recently made an impressive debut on the silver screen with 'Aamir', Iqbal had any plans to graduate to the silver screen, the actor said,''I do not want to jump into anything till I get something good and worthy. Rajeev was lucky to get a good role.

If somebody narrates to me a good script and the role is good then maybe I could consider doing a film. Till now, I have not come across a good script.'' UNI AR SBC RK1109