Ssharad Malhotra may have portrayed the perfect husband on television multiple times, but in real life, he is self-admittedly phobic about marriage.

Though scared of the ‘M’ word, Ssharad has been in a happy, stable relationship with actress Pooja Bisht since two years. He says, “Like every couple, we too have had ugly fights, but are stable now. That Pooja is a part of this industry has both pros and cons. The advantage is that she under stands the timings, erratic schedules and stress an actor has to deal with. The downside is that we end up talking about work whenever we are together,” he says.

Now that he is in a happy space, does he plan to take the relationship to the next level? “Not yet. I am a little marriage-phobic because a couple of my friends have had turbulent relationships. Mental stability is what I am looking for. So, if everything remains smooth, you might hear wedding bells next year. Marriage is about two people making a choice,” he replies, adding, “For me, happiness is peace of mind, and I get that when I am content with the work I am doing. Peace and harmony in personal space are also extremely important. In my personal space, I want to be wanted — I guess after working hard the entire day, all of us would want to go to a happy relationship. So, at the moment, I am at peace.”

Ssharad Malhotra and (inset) Pooja Bisht