Mumbai, May 14 (IANS): Television actor Ali Merchant has opened up about his faith in love and also about his current mindset for coming into a new relationship.

Ali said: "Surely setbacks affect each one of us, and people with a beating heart like me suffer a bit more. But life keeps going. I never let my personal life affect my professional life."

"I kept on moving forward with all my energy but deep down, all those things kept on hurting, and it affected me to the core. I used to keep myself caught up in some work to get diverted from those unnecessary thoughts, so my mind took a long time to come out of it, but it impacted me a lot."

The actor also talked about the importance of love for him.

He said: "What are we on this planet for if we can't love anymore? One becomes a living corpse the day he loses the ability to love, and I definitely ain't one. I believe in the power of love, and when I am surrounded by the positive energy of love, I can achieve and accomplish even the toughest things in my life. So for me, love is everything, and falling in love is the wrong phrase; I will always rise in love," he added.

Asked if he's afraid of trolls if he decides to get married the third time, the actor said: "Trolls are now part of any successful person's life; that's why they are talking about us and not vice versa. One must treat it as a cost of being famous. And some people will troll you even when you do good things, so whatever you do, you can't make everyone happy."

"The only thing I always keep in mind is that whatever I feel is good for me and my family, I do it, no matter what people say about it."

Ali Merchant concluded by opening up his heart about how suffocated he feels about his love life after two heartbreaks.

He said: "The two heartbreaks made me a little bit wiser in love, and I don't like to make the same mistakes again."

Ali has been part of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Lock Up season 1, and Bandini, among other shows.