MUSBA HASHMI speaks with SHINY DOSHI and ANKIT ARORA about how they came on board for Dangal TV’s Alif Laila, the challenges that come with the role and what makes these folklores relevant even today
Flying carpets, magic lamps, fairies, kings and what not —who doesn’t miss the gripping tales of 1001 Arabian Nights brimmed with morals and values. To give you a taste of the tales again, Dangal TV has brought Alif Laila on TV. With Shiny Doshi and Ankit Arora paired as the leads, the show makes for a must watch.
Doshi who plays Seher tells you that it is pure destiny that got her on board the project. “I was initially called to audition for another show on Dangal TV, but ended up bagging the lead in Alif Laila. I have done daily soaps and mythology-based shows, but this was something that excited me. Apart from playing Seher, every time I get into another story with the king, there are new characters that come in. This helps me try and explore different roles and characters bringing in the element of fun. In the first story I was playing Vargina, while in the second story I was playing Noor, and so on. This helps me to explore myself better. Every day, I get to learn something new on set,” she says.
Doshi didn’t have to put in too much of efforts for the role, however maintining her weight was a challenges. “Playing the role wasn’t that difficult. However, this is my first show wherein I am supposed to speak a lot of urdu words with proper pronunciation. While I am still learning to excel in it considering some words are too difficult to pronounce, my creative team on the set helps me with my diction. The challenge for me was to maintain my weight. The character’s requirements are such that, I cannot afford to gain weight and therefore I did go on a diet to maintain my look,” she tells you.
For actors, often their on-screen team becomes a offscreen family and so is the case with Doshi, who feels fortunate to work with such a loving team. “The environment on the sets is nice and comfortable. I am glad to be working with a loving and warm team. Everyone on the set is like a family. Every time when we step into a new story, we get the opportunity to work with different actors. Off screen we are a small Alif Laila family,” she says.
She adds that she have grown up watching the show and that it is important for today’s generation to be in sync with these classics. “Alif Laila has always been close to my heart. I feel, today’s generation needs to watch such classic tales. Keeping the current generation in mind, we have tailor made our show with variations and twists. We want the youth to know about the classic old shows and enjoy them,” Doshi says.
Arora who plays Saharzaad says that there was no reason to turn down the project. And that he is getting to play a protagonist after a long time.
“I was at that stage of my career where after my first role which was 12 years ago, I played only negative characters.
I wanted to do something different and that is when I was offered Alif Laila. I had multiple reasons to accept the role. It is a versatile show and the fact that I was offered the lead positive character, there was no chance I would deny it. I have grown up watching the show and therefore I was elated to be a part of it. Secondly, when you play numerous negative characters, you tend to get typecast. With this role, I wanted to break the monotony and took it as a challenge. Also, the fact that I have worked with Nikhil Sinha and his team in the past and that we share a great bond, I was confident about this role,” he tells you.
He agrees with Doshi and is quick to point out that the warm atmosphere on the sets is what makes the experience all the more enriching. “We are like family. The warm loving atmosphere on the set not just with my co-actors but with the entire team is what makes its beautiful.
We share a good rapport. We sit together to rehearse the lines which helps us to deliver dialogues better on screen. Since we end up spending more than 12 hours a day on the set, it has become a second home,” Arora says.
He tells you that since the show demands different characters, it becomes quite challenging. “The television industry is a different ball-game when you compare it with movies or theatre. The pace in doing a television show is very swift. It is even faster in a daily soap.
There are days when you get the script on the same day of shoot. So you have to think and improvise it on the spot. You have to be prepared for any and all kinds of situations. For instance, you could be shooting scene five of the 45th episode and after the break, you end up shooting for scene nine of the 48th episode.
In Alif Laila, it is quite challenging because I play different roles. We try our best to do rehearsals or have a conversation with the directors, producers, actors and creative team so that we are prepared and have a flow in mind which helps us to portray a particular character effectively,” Arora, who is missing work during the lockdown, tells you.
