MUMBAI: Kulfii Kumarr Bajewala (Produced by Gul Khan and Nilanjani Purkayastha) is one of most popular shows on television. The audiences love the bond that Kullfii and Sikandar and Amyra and Lovely share. The actors share a warm relationship off-screen as well, which is again appreciated.

The current track of the show revolves around Lovely giving poison to Amyra so that she can emotionally blackmail Sikandar to send Kullfi to a boarding school. Although the track is intense and full of twists, the audiences have found it a bit much.

TellyChakkar got in touch with Anjali Anand, who plays the role of Lovely, and talked to her at length about her negative character, her bond with co-stars, trends on television, and much more.

We asked the beautiful actress about her experience of shooting the poison scene, given the fact that she shares a very warm bond with child artist Myra Singh, who plays Amyra in the show. She said, ‘It was of course very difficult. Seeing a child lying on a hospital bed is in itself a very unpleasant sight. Whenever there are scenes where Kulfii or Amyra are getting hurt physically or emotionally, it affects everybody on the sets as we just love these two kids, but Amyra is such a champion and a great actor that more than being upset, we were all surprised with her amazing performance. We were all wondering how a child knows how to feel when she is on deathbed and how to act when one can’t breathe. That is why more than being sorry for her, I was proud of her considering her growth graph from where she started until now. It is commendable.

We asked her about how she deals with fan hatred, and she said, ‘I receive a lot of hate comments and negative feedback, but i think everybody has their different opinions. I believe the audiences take TV very seriously. Like for example, in a movie, if an actor plays a serial killer and subsequently plays a lover boy in his next movie, his image will change, which is not the case for television, as actors who play a negative role are pretty much stuck there.

We requested her to share a few incidents of fan encounters, and she said, ‘The viewers take everything very personally and seriously. I have people walking up to me and ask me questions about Lovely’s actions. They would tell me to not harm Sikandar or Kullfi. I think the people in India forget the difference between the character and the actor, which is a positive sign that I am able to convince the viewers with my character. But personally, of course, I get affected and it takes a toll on me when people talk bad about me and make personal attacks on me. It makes no sense. I believe this is something that Indian audiences need to learn. Bad people also exist. We can’t be saying only good and positive stories, as they will be a lie. In reality, there are cruel people in the world, and somebody has to play that character. That’s it.’

We probed her about her thoughts on social media, and she said, ‘Social media has made it very easy for people to hate. They love to hate, they love to troll, and all of that, but it’s fine. It takes a toll on somebody personally sometimes. Having said that, I am really enjoying the character, as it’s always challenging to know and portray what Lovely has up her sleeves’ (smiles).

‘As an actor I am very satisfied, I’m learning every day to better my craft because of this. How will I get to know the range of emotions I can portray if I keep doing the same kind of roles?’

Adding more about the character she plays, she said, ‘Lovely is one of the most justified negative characters on television. Unlike a Komolika, she does not wake up with the thought of harming anyone. She is a very insecure woman who has never received love in her life. The only love that she has in life is that of Amyra’s, but still, Lovely feels insecure thinking that Amyra loves her father more than her. Lovely just needs Sikandar’s love. Just think about the extent of Lovely’s desperation. She puts up her only source of love, Amyra, in danger to ensure Sikandar’s comeback in their lives.’