MUMBAI: The Family Man actor Ashlesha Thakur is one of the most loved character-actors in the spy series. And so, her huge fan following does not come as a surprise. In the premiere season, her character Dhriti is introduced as a volatile and rebellious teen in the midst of a family falling apart, the current outing sees her going deeper into the skin with a love angle introduced to her. The Dhriti-Kalyan (played by Abhay Verma) romantic relationship has also emerged as one of the hot gossips of discussion among the viewers. 

Ashlesha on doing the romantic parts in the web series with Abhay at such a young age and how she prepared herself for the same is intresting to know. She replies, “I was very nervous. It was a very new thing for me to do. I had to bring maturity to the character and not have that kidd-ish way of acting. I wanted to make it look very natural and spontaneous. I watched a lot of web series where there is a love interest involved. I researched and studied a lot. Shooting the kissing scene is very technical. It is no fun. It is my work and whatever the requirements are as an actor, I should be comfortable with it. When I was told that I have a small peck and a love interest in the second season, Raj and DK (the directors) called me and my father to their office to discuss it. My father asked me what I thought about it. I decided that I wanted to go ahead with it since I am also evolving as an actor. I trust my directors and did not worry about what it would look like on screen because I know how meticulous they are with their writing." 

Ashlesha and Abhay have also worked in a TVC before The Family Man. About building the chemistry prior to the shoot and playing out the entire love angle, she says, “I was lucky that I knew him. Half of my track is with him and Abhay was totally dependent on Dhriti. We had some conversations about how to act and broke the ice between us. We were both naïve and that is where Raj and Suparn (Verma) sir came into the picture. They told us how we are supposed to act and how it would look on screen."

The 17-year-old actress also talks about doing the kidnapping scene. “It was exhausting and emotionally and mentally challenging for me. Getting kidnapped was something that was making me very nervous. I did not want to do that scene. I was telling Raj and Suparn sir, ‘let’s do it another day. When I did the first take, I was confused about whether I was doing the correct thing. When the directors supported me, I knew I was on the right track." 

Ashlesha expresses that she has been getting a lot of proposals on social media after The Family Man has propelled her to national fame. “I have a lot of ‘rishtas’ in my DMs and people are sending me the creepiest and the sweetest of messages. I like the attention but I don’t know how much of it is true," quotes Dhriti.

On choosing scripts, Ashlesha says she and her father discuss the projects but it is mostly her who selects which ones to finally go ahead with. “Me and my dad discuss how things are going to be like for me. He suggests what roles I would look good in. He also leads me to the auditions. I do screen tests, but it is also my choice as to how I want to be and portray myself. In future also, if I am very intrigued by the story or the character, I’d try it. Challenges are always welcome. Even if it is a grey character, I am ready to do it. I have an open mind. All I think about is how I can be flexible." 

Credits- News 18

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