Enchanting beauty Jiya Shankar who played the lead in TV shows Queens Hai Hum and Meri Hanikarak Biwi, is now entertaining the masses as Susheela in Sony SAB’s new show Kaatelal & Sons.
Inspired by a true story, Kaatelal & Sons is a tale of Dharampal Thakur and his treasured hair salon named ‘Kaatelal & Sons’. Based in Rohtak, Haryana, the show will take the audience into the lives of this family, especially Dharampal’s beloved and daring daughters – Garima and Susheela.
In conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Jiya spoke about her new character and more.
What prompted you to take up the show?
I really loved my character Susheela. When I was briefed about the show and I auditioned for it, I didn’t have many expectations of getting selected for the role. I wasn’t even sure if I could do the Haryanvi accent but I was keen on giving it a shot and things simply fell into place. I am so thrilled and happy that I got to play Susheela. She is completely care-free and bindass. She is tomboyish, hot-headed and doesn’t think twice before beating someone up. She enjoys physical training and nobody can mess with her. She is also Randeep Hooda’s biggest fan. Kaatelal & Sons is one of the shows that I am really excited about. I have had experience in the comedy genre in the past and I am hoping I’d be able to use my skills in this show.
How did you prepare for the role?
For me Haryanvi was a crucial aspect of the role that we had to prepare and for that our director was enough. He is a one-man army. He has literally sat with us and helped us go through every single word one by one to get the essence of the language right. But the other challenges were the fact that for this character I am doing a lot of action sequences. Every time I am either pushing or hitting someone. So there was a lot of physical activity involved so that was a bigger challenge as every other day I end up with some bruise. I am really proud of myself because I never thought that I’d ever been able to jump on a moving tempo and perform such action sequences. If this show hadn’t been there, I would’ve never imagined doing things like these.
What are your thoughts on the concept of the show?
The concept is motivating. I feel there are very few shows on television that are real-life adaption. When we heard that the show is inspired by a true story, I was even more excited to be a part of the show and get to know my character further. The story is really empowering, and it goes to tell that if women choose to do something, they can definitely achieve it.
Your character Susheela seems to be tough and dabangg, can you tell us more about it?
The way Susheela walks runs isn’t like some regular girl. She is a powerhouse in herself. I am sure the audience will love her character as she is really unique. I am glad we are coming out of the saas-bahu genre. Things are changing and it is now even reflected in the kind of shows that we see. Women are being looked at from a progressive lens. Kaatelal & Sons will bring a change with a refreshing storyline.
Any message for the fans?
All I want to say is that my fans have supported me all along and when the trailer launched for Kaatelal & Sons, I received such an overwhelming response from everyone. I am immensely grateful for their love and support. It is because of them that I am here today and they continue to encourage me to give my best.