Ashi Singh fondly known as Naina of Sony TV’s popular show Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai, is currently entertaining audiences as Yasmine in Sony Sab show Aladdin Naam Toh Suna Hoga.
The actress stepped into Avneet Kaur’s shoes to play the titular role. She came and conquered, her chemistry with Siddharth Nigam in the show as well as off-screen is being appreciated and loved by fans.
In an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Ashi spoke about replacing Avneet, new challenges and more. Read on:
How do you feel about bagging the role of Yasmine in Aladdin?
I feel grateful. Yasmine’s character is different and I always wanted to pick roles that are unique from my previous projects. I am very happy that Yasmine as a character is teaching me something new every day and I am enjoying this learning process. There are a lot of things to explore while playing this character and I am doing it, so it feels satisfying.
What makes you different from Avneet as Yasmine?
I guess it would be my personality. As a person I feel, I and Avneet are very different. The way I portray the character and the way she used to enact it is very different so I feel that our personalities would be the differentiating factor.
Do you think it is risky to come in as a replacement and make a place in the viewer’s heart?
I do feel that it is very risky and difficult at the same time. Before taking up the role of Yasmine, I would be in doubt and the reason was that I was replacing someone. I feared that people might not accept me and there are a lot of people who haven’t accepted the fact that I am Yasmine now and I completely understand it. However, as an actor, I took this risk as I really wanted to do something different and interesting.
Have you watched Aladdin before?
I did not watch the show because when the show was on-air, I was also shooting for my previous show so there was no time to watch it. However, I had an idea about the show as I saw a few clips on Instagram earlier.
How is your bond with co-star Siddharth Nigam?
Siddharth is a very supportive and helpful person. I remember that on the first day of my shoot for Aladdin, I was very under confident and nervous, he really made me feel good and motivated me. He is a very nice human being. We haven’t completed a month of shooting together but it feels that I know him well. I feel very comfortable with him so the bond is going well.
How was your lockdown phase?
I felt that the phase would be very boring but it was not. I was very productive and was working out, dieting, I was helping my mother and spending a lot of quality time with my family. I had a lot of ‘me’ time too and I also tried to stay positive.
What is the biggest lesson that you learnt during your quarantine period?
I learnt that family is very important. Also, I knew it is important to be positive in life, however, this phase taught me that mental health should be your priority. I learnt that you should be mentally stable and positive always.
Any final message for fans…
I really love you guys. I know that a lot of my fans were waiting for season 2 of my previous show and they wanted to see me in that show. However, I am doing Aladdin now and they are supporting, loving and watching the show for me. I would like to say that stay safe as you guys are precious for me and stay healthy.