Work and fun mean the same thing for friendly tele-witch and veejay, Shruti Seth, who is currently basking in the spotlight

Model-cum-actress and VJ, Shruti Seth, is as normal as it gets. The unaffected-by-fame girl has cast her effervescent spell in the popular tele-serial Shararat. In real life, she flits about the house, pulling out pretty, crushed skirts from her immaculate wardrobe for our shoot and is ever ready for some warm banter. The bubbly ex-Xavierite reveals that she got into modelling as one of many career options. "I was a greedy college girl, wanting to make a few extra bucks on the side, so I got some professional shots taken."

Commercials for products like Clean and Clear, Frooti, Ponds, Hero Honda and some television anchoring, kept her busy for a few years. But Shruti was still unclear about where she was heading. "I was going to appear for an MBA exam, but the Mathematics involved made me chicken out," she giggles. Right from dance to public relations, from hotel management to interior design, Shruti flitted in many directions, but decided to fly in just one.

"I got my big media and acting break with Shararat," she acknowledges. The weekly show about magic and masti brings her adulation in its purest form. "Even though I'm a private person, when kids recognize and come up to me, I don't feel as if I'm being scrutinised", she says. Coincidentally, Shararat was being shot in the same studio that Channel V used. "I would see them shooting and dreamt of being there, even though my friends wondered why I thought it was such a big deal."

After a fair amount of struggling, D-day arrived and Shruti was ecstatic. "When I was finally hired, I couldn't stop crying! My whole family was crying with me, and my friends were delighted for me." Her suave style and easy sense of comfort on the numerous shows she hosts for the channel proves that she belongs right there. "Now I understand why I wanted it so badly. It's been an incredible journey." Her thickest pals are colleagues, Gaurav Kapur and Purab Kohli.

"If someone had told me two years ago that I would be interviewing Bryan Adams in person instead of just going for his concert, I would never have thought it possible," laughs Shruti. "I was the only VJ who got to interview him!" Politician, Omar Abdullah's combination of attractiveness and intelligence and Shah Rukh Khan's repartee have also left an impact on the girl. "Being in the media spoils you," she admits. "But you have to be very careful that the spotlights don't blind you, because one day they're going to be switched off, and your day in the sun is over."

So, what's next for this ebullient persona? "Marriage is on the cards as soon as I find my perfect guy! When it comes to work, it's definitely media, media and more media for me."

Text by Shaista Vaishnav