It is never easy to change leads midstream. Something similar has happened to the SAB TV show Tenali Rama, which will soon complete two years.
Some months back, lead girl Priyamvada Kant quit as she did not want to play mother, forcing the creative to search for a new face.
Production house, Contiloe Entertainment, then brought in Niya Sharma (not to be confused with Nia Sharma of Ishq Mein Marjawan) as the new Sharda. But Niya had a tough time, for, apart from her dialogues, she also had to speak for her mute mother-in-law, effectively played by veteran actor, Nimisha Vakharia.
Lead actor Krishna Bhardwaj sympathized with his co-star’s plight, saying, “It was not her fault, for the original cast, having done lots of workshops before going on air, knew what was expected. But here, poor Niya was very quickly thrown into the deep end and asked to swim.”
Nimisha added to what Krishna said, “The challenge for Niya also increased, for, being a historical comedy, we could not go the slapstick way. Also, the language used had to be old Hindi. You can’t mix Urdu with Hindi as is the norm of the day.”
“At first, she would get upset when her above flaw was pointed out, saying, why are you making a mountain out of a molehill? But over time, she realized the importance of detail after seeing the final product,” added Nimisha.
“Also today, most girls are used to the daily soap format and short skirts; so I had to make sure that she delivered what was required, as she was speaking my lines also. One of the directors, appreciating my concerns, would make me perform the lines, which Niya had to repeat,” stated the senior actress.
Nimisha has done several shows such as Instant Khichdi, Sasural Simar Ka, Ram Milaayi Jodi, etc. What did you guys do to help her out? “Understanding that each actor interprets the character in his/her own sense, Niya has been given a lot of latitude, e.g. if you remember, Priyamvada spoke very fast, yet we went with a different style as per Niya’s comfort zone.”
“However, as I had always maintained that things do get back on an even keel given time and effort, now she has got the feel of Sharda,” ended Nimisha.
Krishna too seconded the same.
We only hope Niya pulls up her socks and gets to execute whatever is needed of her to perfection!!
What does she have to say about it? Well for answers keep reading IWMBuzz.com.