Mumbai: Pretty and talented Bhumika Gurung is winning hearts as Nimki in Star Bharat’s popular daily Nimki Mukhiya (Qissago Telefilms). Bhumika, who hails from Shimla, is nailing the role of a village girl Nimki who hails from Bihar.

In a conversation with TellyChakkar, Bhumika talks about her role, experience so far and much more.

Excerpts from the interview -

Tell us a bit about yourself? Can you relate yourself to Nimki?

I am pretty much same like Nimki but more on emotional side. I am almost 70% like Nimki. The only difference is that she is way too practical while probably at times, I am not. I am always happy, always smiling like her and that’s how I like to be. There is no difference between Nimki and me as such.  

How did Nimki Mukhiya happen to you?

It wasn’t really an audition process that I had to go through. My pictures were liked and shortlisted by Zama Habib sir who is the producer and writer for the show. He had got a reference from a friend who had done a pilot shoot with me in the past. After having few meetings, we started off the project. I went through an audition zillion of times and did mock shoots before being sure that the show is going to be mine. Then I was finalized.

How much of homework you had to do before taking up the role?

A lot of it! The language was completely new to me and I had never done a show in the past that had a Bihari background. I had to watch Hindi movies that had the Bihari dialect. I observed the way they speak Hindi. I had to undo my Hindi and don the Bihari dialect, the slangs, the pronunciation and everything to get into the skin of the role. Initially I faced a lot of difficulty, I used to fumble a lot but I got used to it gradually with time. Everyone has been very supportive and cooperative with me on the set and I am pretty much comfortable with the language now.

You seem to be so well versed with the language as Nimki that many people think that you are a Bihari…

Yes, people keep telling me that you are from Bihar so it must be easy for you! I feel that it’s a compliment for me. I am not from Bihar and I had no knowledge of this language. I feel that I am very flexible with everything that I catch things quickly but the problem is that I never leave things quickly too (laughs).

An actor should always be very flexible and like clay that they can get mould in anyway. I think I am on way to getting better.

How has been your experience so far?

It’s been amazing! I am always smiling because of Nimki’s character. Everyone around me have a positive energy. The show and the storyline are very different; it’s never seen before. We all feel blessed and happy being a part of the show. I couldn’t ask for a better break than Nimki Mukhiya on TV.

How do you feel about the response?

I am very happy that the TRPs have been good and we are doing well which is a big thing. Not all the shows on TV are working well and when our show is doing well at this moment then it feels really good and it should be consistence and it has been. The kind of getting response and love I am getting is overwhelming.

The best part is that here people are not only noticing the lead character but they all love other characters also. So we all are working hand in hand which is very good that it is working not only because of one person but because of everyone. It’s the best part about the show.

Unlike other female characters on TV, Nimki seems to be a very simple yet ‘hatke’ character on TV. Please comment.

She is a girl with whom every girl can connect to because I can, in terms of everything. Whenever you think about something in life then you definitely think about yourself first and then family. She is very practical but at the same time she has a very soft corner in her heart. She will think of others too while thinking about herself. She is a girl of today’s times. A girl looks for finding a settled guy for herself which is Nimki’a demand too. She is someone whom everyone can relate too. No one sacrifices in life; everyone wants happiness. She wants everything, comfortable life, a big house and cars. She demands whatever she wants. She is not negative at all. She is speaking the truth and she is very real girl.

With whom do you bond the best on sets?

Everyone! We don’t get time to shoot together all the time but the day we all get together, we all have a lot of fun. I have few people on sets who are really close to me – Mahua (Saniya Noorain), Diamond (Jatin Suri), Babbu (Abhishek Sharma) and Tunney (Priyanshu Singh). I am close to our DOP and Director Sir. We all laugh together. It’s been amazing shooting with all of them.

Which has been the most challenging scene for you so far?

I get so many dialogues to speak at one go. There was a scene where I had to talk for 7 minutes at one go where Babbu throws away the phone and unaware about it, Nimki continues speaking to him on phone. It was like I am talking to myself. It looks easy to do but very challenging to talk alone with movements and expressions. It was the first time I got such a long dialogues.

Keep up the good work, Bhumika.