Yesterday we had carried a story on the issues Tenali Rama (SAB TV) lead actress, Niya Sharma, had to face when she entered the shoes of Priyamvada Kant as the new Sharda. In the interests of fair journalism, we also reached out to Niya for her side of the story.
“It was indeed a rough ride, for till now, I had only done TVCs, which required natural acting. But a historical comedy is a different kettle of fish. Although co-star Krishna Bharadwaj did try to help, I had to do the heavy lifting myself, to reach the old cast comfort level. And Krishna also admitted that they were not in a position to reprise the same energy levels as before.”
“One of the biggest challenges was to get the old ornamental Hindi right, as today, most youngsters like me don’t take much interest in the Lingua Franca of the nation; rather, we learn foreign tongues..”
“I admit that at first I would get a bit ruffled when creative would stop me from using colloquial Hindustan in the course of my improvisations. But now, in hindsight, I get it that even a slight change of words can change the meaning of a sentence.”
She did admit to above creative differences with Nimisha Vakharia, “Whose lines I have to mouth. But she is much more experienced than me. There was no one of my age on set to talk to as well; everyone was much older.”
Here Niya added, “While I was battling this creative pressure, many viewers also added to my woes. I was subjected to huge troll attacks, questioning my acting caliber. They wanted me to be packed off home. It was indeed a tough time for a while. I stopped going online, for such negativity does sap your self-belief.”
So how did you fight back? “Well, we Sagittarians never say die. Also, my life has not been a cakewalk, having seen tougher days along with my family. Hence, I was determined to prove my mettle.”
“But as they say, alls well that ends well. Today, I am happy to have passed this acid test, which will hold me in good stead as an artist, down the road. Now you can throw any character at me.”
In closing, Niya says, “Here I must thank my creative team for they gave me the freedom to interpret Sharda as my per take. This is very essential for we are not just mimicking someone, but living the character, day in and day out.”