Actress Aayushi Lahiri who was previously seen in ‘The Good Karma Hospital’, Norwegian film ‘Nora’, short film ‘Question Mark’ among others, talks about her recently released show Bambai Meri Jaan on Amazon Prime, her working experience in the show and future aspirations.
Directed by Shujaat Saudagar, the show starring Kay Kay Menon, Avinash Tiwary, Kritika Kamra and others, is being well received by audiences. Giving insights about her role, Aayushi shared, "I'm playing the character, 'Nasreen'. She's getting married to Nasir, who's the nicest of the wolf pack. ( Kadri brothers) Nasir is Dara's best friend and has grown up with the Kadri's and it's his big day where the kadri's forget the world of crimes and join in the wedding celebrations. It's a small part but it's a big deal for me to be able to step into the Webseries world with Excel entertainment."
Talking about how she prepped for the character, she mentioned, "I auditioned with Casting bay in 2020 for a different role in the show. The direction team got back to me asking if I would be interested in playing another part in the show which is small but pivotal. I didn't have to test again. They had also mentioned the brutality of the scene and if I'll be okay doing it. I still remember being skeptical about doing a 'rape scene' so I called Ankit Bisht in Casting Bay who gave me the confidence and connected me to Ishita Dave, the D.A on the show. She told me the way they were planning to shoot it and made sure everything was as per my comfort."
Speaking about the kind of responses she's getting, she stated, "To be very honest, I did not expect the kind of messages I've been receiving from people after watching the 5th episode. It's a turning point in the show and the responses started pouring in, the same day itself. Messages like, how it has ruined their sleep. Most of them don't see it coming and feel traumatized. I've received a long message from someone who has been through such violence and specifically mentioned that what's shown is exactly how a woman's body can't fight back when attacked like that by a 6 foot man. No matter how strong you are."
Describing her working experience in the show, the actress told us, "I haven't had a better working experience. Shujaat sir, Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal made me hang out with the main cast before the shoot began again in 2021. Yes, we shot over 2 lockdowns. They've treated me like a part of their own family. I was such a small part in this Kadri universe, but when we finally shot the wedding sequence, there was a certain ease around everyone. When we started shooting the 'Red wedding' sequence late at night, many of them came to watch the shoot and stayed till 4 a.m/5 a.m. Rensil sir, had also come on set that night. I heard people were shivering and few of them couldn't even watch. I had bruised myself and the team was extremely protective of me. It may sound bizarre but it was the most memorable shooting day for me."
Lastly, adding about her future aspirations, she concluded, "I've always played the sweet girl next door girl. I would love to play flawed or gray characters. I try to do short films time and again so that I can practice as an actor doing different kinds of roles."
