Jamai Raja is out-of-the-box: Nia Sharma

The chirpy and bubbly actress, Nia Sharma has struck ‘gold’ for the third time in a row by picking up a project where she would very certainly get appreciated for the character she would play. After giving a daring display in Star Plus’ Kaali – Ek Agnipariksha, Nia went on to get the love of one and all in the character on Maanvi in Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, again on Star Plus. Now she plays the upmarket girl, Roshni Siddharth Khurana who would not think twice before calling a spade a spade in Zee TV’s Jamai Raja (Gracing Goat Pictures). For Nia, Jamai Raja has been a great journey so far. “It is a great feeling to have gotten associated with such a show. My thumb rule was not to get into a project which would run only for three months. I wanted a show which was sure to run for years, and my gut feeling worked well for me. This was one project where everything starting from the character to the budget worked in my favour. I was a bit apprehensive when the shoot had not started, but once we had walked on the path, all was fine. We literally enjoy on the sets of Jamai Raja.” Talking about her character, Nia explains, “There is no comparison between Roshni and the other characters I have played. And the best part is that I am playing myself here. The kind of language I speak and the English slangs I keep using now and then, are so similar to how my character is.” Ask her if she misses the saans-bahu banters on-screen and she is ready with an immediate answer, “Not at all. In fact, I am happy playing the ‘Apne khud ki ghar ki ladki’ even after being a married woman. Instead of the saas-bahu banter, Jamai Raja has the banter that happens between me and my mom. I play the typical youth of today, who are seen to be at loggerheads with their parents for some reason or the other. So this gives me a realistic feel, and the best part is that I keep fighting with my mom in real life too. The only difference is that my fights with my mom are always at level one while they reach the crescendo and take to level five with my on-screen mom. Jamai Raja is out-of-the-box, and I love the fact that I am not playing a typical bahu. In fact, Roshni is the only person who can make her mother fall weak; the girl looks into the eyes of her mother when she talks. And in real life too, I have this very rebellious attitude. In simple words, I can say that Roshni possesses traits of Nia.” Ask her what exactly works in favour of Jamai Raja and she quickly expresses her thought, “This show is not a love story wherein the story depends solely on the love story of two individuals. We have three protagonists, and each of them have an independent identity. And the relationships harp on a three way equation, one between the boy and the girl, the other being the girl and mother and thirdly, the saans and jamai. So this is a wonderful concept in itself.” Nia feels she has gotten a great friend in co-actor Achint Kaur. “It is great to be working with a lady of the stature of Achint. Even though she comes with so much of experience, she carries no baggage whatsoever. She is a friend to me, and our off-screen equation is totally opposite to our on-screen rapport. In fact, I can even sit on her lap and have a chat. She is easy to work with, and gives ample time for her co-actors to deliver the best.” Moving on, Nia loves her conversations with Aparaji (Mehta) and Delnaaz. “Both of them are a complete laugh riot on the sets. Aparaji narrates quite a lot of tales about her coming of age, her days of Kyunki Saas and we get to listen to so much. Delnaaz is a toy to play with and is very sweet.” Nia takes the opportunity to thank Producer Siddharth Malhotra for giving her the character of Maanvi. “I wanted to be part of shows that would fetch me good appreciation, and that is exactly what I got with Ek Hazaaron. Siddharth Malhotra made me what I am today, and I am grateful to him. After that, I had the patience to sit back and wait for the right offer to come. And my gut feeling worked here, as all the shows that I refused to be part of, did not work with the audience.” Nia then talks about her self-entertaining sessions that she usually has on the sets. “I love to keep myself vibrant, and I keep doing something or the other to be busy. I decorate my room with my pictures, scribble on the walls and even end up singing songs that I have not even heard. I sing in this brash tone, and entertain everyone on the set.” Ask her about the future of television, and she says, “TV certainly has a good future, with so many new channels coming up. There will be scope for a brigade of younger actors to come in. But having said this, the content of TV will go for a toss, as makers would only want to fill up the space. Of course, there are lot of talented and senior actors who have disappeared from the acting circuit, as they can never compromise on their quality of work. Also, few channels like Life OK have become bolder with various new concepts. But wonder why such shows never end up getting good numbers. Well, TV is trying to change, and guess it will take some more time for viewers to accept this change. It will be a slow process.” Very well said, Nia!!!