Reha Sukheja Says She 'Trolled' Shah Rukh Khan For His Height, Intimidated Him

News18

6 days ago

Model-turned-actor Reha Sukheja joins her first reality show, Chhoriyan Chali Gaon. She recalls her viral moment with Shah Rukh Khan.
Model-turned-actor Reha Sukheja is stepping into her first-ever reality show, Chhoriyan Chali Gaon, a rural challenge-based format that throws urban contestants into the heart of village life. Reha, who famously went viral for towering over Shah Rukh Khan during a pageant event, now finds herself navigating mud floors, firewood kitchens and cow dung chores. In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, she talks about joining the show and recalls the time she intimidated SRK!
Reha, who stands at 6'1", spoke about standing out (literally) in the village setting. 'This is my first reality show. I'm going to a village. I'm also 6'1, so I really stand out. People are going to look up at me and they're probably going to be like, who's this freak? But I think they're going to be very intrigued as to who this tall girl is who's entered their village. And then slowly and slowly once they start to get to know me, they'll get to know me beyond my height as well."
When asked why she chose a village-based show instead of something more glamorous like Khatron Ke Khiladi or Bigg Boss, Reha said, 'I love challenges. So when Zee approached me about this show, it was something that I had never heard of before – a city girl to go into the village life, and do village tasks, things that they do on a regular basis, like making food on the stove, or gardening, or with cow dung, and clean the houses and things like that with it. These are things that I only know in concept, and I've only seen on probably a web series or in a movie. I've had zero experience of a village life, because I've been a city girl through and through. I was born in Calcutta, then I moved to Hyderabad, then Pune, then Bombay. So I have zero experience of a village life. First I was really scared and daunted by the entire idea. But immediately my second thought was, hey, it's a challenge. Why not? Let's see, because I would love to see myself out of my comfort zone. I want to see how well I survive and how well I adapt."
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She's also aware of the emotional challenge of being away from family for the duration of the show. 'We've already been told that our phones are not going to be with us for two and a half months which is going to be the biggest challenge for me because I've been away from family for work for like 10-15 days max. It's never been longer than that. But I've always been like in touch with them on phone and I've always checked in on mom and dad and my brother. So to not have that line of communication at all is going to be extremely tough for me. But other than that, I don't think I'm someone who's going to walk out of the show or want to walk out of the show because if it's a competition, I'm extremely competitive. So I'd only go head on every day into the competition and try and win it."
Her viral moment with Shah Rukh Khan still brings a spark to her eyes. Recalling the time she intimidated him with her height, Reha says, 'Shah Rukh Khan is like my favourite actor of all time. I've loved him since I was three years old. Just to meet him himself was like an honour and I was standing next to him that day in about five inches of heels. I am already so tall. So it was quite intimidating for him. But for me, I still felt like the little three-year-old, four-year-old who got to meet her idol. Shah Rukh Khan is very funny because he's someone who is so witty and he's so wonderful with the way he speaks that it was a very fun segment that we had during the pageant."
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She even had a cheeky exchange with the superstar. 'The thing is that for me, I feel like I'm extremely quick-witted. So, when it comes to any situation, there will be a smart remark or a sarcastic remark that you'll always hear from me. What I don't realise sometimes is who I'm with and who I'm standing around. Shah Rukh Khan in front of me is standing, he's asking me, 'give me tips on how to grow taller' and things like that. And I'm on national television standing over there, 19 years of age, and I say 'Sorry, but I think you've gone past the age where you can grow any taller.' I just said that because it came out as like a quick rebuttal. But he's an extremely good sport, he was very sweet about it."
As for what's next, Reha is keeping her eyes on performance-based projects. 'I would love to do a reality show but I am more inclined towards the task-based reality shows. Something like Khatron Ke Khiladi where I can really challenge myself physically and mentally. That's something that I veer towards, mostly. Other than that, my focus is acting. So that's what I really want to do. I see myself getting into the skin of different characters and working with people who I've only admired till now."
Speaking about the pressure to look a certain way in the industry, Reha was candid: 'It's very challenging because ours is an industry which is solely based on external beauty. You're taken for a job based on the way you look and that's the reality. So when it comes to skin care and working out and taking care of yourself, that is your basic homework as a model. You know, so when you sign up to be a model, you sign up to do all of this. And if this is something that you do not wish to do, then modelling may not be for you."
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On whether she's ever lost work because of her appearance, she admitted, 'I'm sure I have. I mean no one really tells you that but different projects require different faces, different kind of models. So for some projects I might be probably the best fitted girl for that particular space, but for another project I might not — and that's absolutely okay, it's fine."
Reflecting on her 14-year-long journey in the industry, she concluded, 'It's been a journey because I started very young. So that point in time I didn't know how to go about it because I came from a very, very good space and to suddenly be criticised for the way I look was very, very tough. I think now, 14 years in the industry, I've learned to navigate. I'm very confident in who I am as a person and what I bring to the table."
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