The star cast of life Ok’s Tumhari Paakhi shot at various locations in Delhi. The lead pair, Shraddha Arya and Iqbal Khan, met Pallavi Gupta at Red Fort, where the bystanders gave the actors a tough time
Roll, camera, action were the words one could hear repeatedly across Meena Bazar at Red fort. Shraddha Arya aka Paakhi of Tumhari Paakhi was delivering a scene in a pink sari and perfectly done hair while the crowd watched her in awe. The only words audible were “Yaha se hatiye, neeche ho kar dekh lijiye shooting!” (Move from here, watch the shoot from distance). The cry of the cameramen went unnoticed. The heat, the noise, the rush, the attempt to shoot and the star-struck audience created madness.
Paakhi has travelled all the way from Chittor to Delhi in search of a new life with a new job in hand. For the sequence, the star cast of Tumhari Paakhi, Iqbal Khan, Shraddha Arya and Ankita Raaj, shot at Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Chandni Chowk.
While chatting with us, Iqbal Khan aka Anshuman Rathore, revealed that “Anshuman is in Delhi for a business trip and not to get Paakhi. Paakhi has gone from his life and Anshuman has realised again that she is the love of her life and he cannot let her go. It is here that I will bump into my mother, the role being played by Ankita Raaj.”
Iqbal, alumni of Delhi University has fond memories of college days spent in the city. His memories trace back to 15 years ago.
The character of Anshuman is complex and with definite traits of ego, consciousness and inhibit love. Anshuman is fun loving one moment and a complete disaster the next. Describing his character Iqbal said, “This till date has been the most challenging role I have ever played. Anshuman is confused and adapting to the mood swings that this character goes through takes a lot of impromptu efforts.”
Iqbal, who is known for rejecting scripts than accepting them, said, “I do not have a mindset for what role I want to pick or not. I hear the details of the character, browse the script and do my research. If I feel the excitement to perform the role I take it. Yes, I am selective but if I connect to the script I connect to the role.”
The TV stud might have failed on the big screen but has wooed millions of hearts on the small screen. “I work 12 hours a day and every day a week. It is useless to ask for a script when you work for such long hours. I get up in the morning at five. I go to the gym at six. I come back at seven. I leave for work by eight. I return home by 10 in the night. Throughout the day I am working. But I am in a happy state at the moment. I have enjoyed doing serials the most for I believe wherever you do well, you like it the most.” But having said, he believes “Kaam zindagi nahi hai, zindagi ka ek hissa hai. I love my work. I work for my family. If I am given a choice between family and work, I will every time choose my family as they are my priority because work comes and goes but family remains by your side forever.”
According to Shraddha Arya, she relates to her character only to a certain extent. Both are optimistic and forward-looking. But there are differences too. Unlike Paakhi, a simple down-to-earth girl who believes in values and is true to herself, she is bubbly in real life. “My professional philosophy is ‘play by the year’, grab the opportunities as they come along and live every moment of it since future is uncertain,” said Shraddha.
In real life Shraddha believes in being a committed soul. “When I take up a role I look into the respect that the character carries for itself. My role forms a part of my dream and I work towards being true to my character. For me to keep my skin up, I always create a balance between my mind and health,” she said.
She has tried her fair share of chance in movies and serials. And she has enjoyed working on the big and the small screen alike. “There is a lot less competition on TV than in films. But I don’t consider TV and films as two different media of acting. For me they are two different levels of my career,” Shraddha said. She dismissed the rumour that the show will conclude after it completes 250 episodes. “The show is doing well and is loved by the audience, there is no reason it will be pulled off,” said Shraddha.