ACTRESS ASHI SINGH DISCUSSES HER HIT NEW SERIAL
TALENTED young actress Ashi Singh has shown remarkable versatility in a short space of time.
She has followed up 1990s-set coming-of-age romance Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai and fantasy series Aladdin – Naam Toh Suna Hoga with one of Indian television’s performances of the year in ZEE TV drama serial Meet: Badlegi Duniya Ki Reet.
The versatile small-screen star has completely transformed her look, accent, and body language for the title role in Meet: Badlegi Duniya Ki Reet, which exudes girl power and is strongly connecting with audiences since it premiered in August.
Eastern Eye caught up with the 24-year-old actress to discuss her latest drama serial, girl power, high expectations, future hopes, and amazingly strong fan base.
What made you take on the lead role for Meet: Badlegi Duniya Ki Reet?
The character of Meet is very interesting and not like anything we usually see in daily soaps, which are not so experimental, so there was no reason for me to say no to it, as it was challenging, unique and so very different.
For those who haven’t seen the show yet, tell us about the story and character you play?
The story is about a girl who tries to set an example that ‘be it a girl or a boy, everyone’s equal in all means’. The show is not about any specific gender; it is about equality.
Is it fair to say this show is mostly about girl power?
This show is about many things and yes, girl power is one of them. We are showing how a girl is doing everything boys are expected to in a male dominated society and more. And how she does everything and manages it all in a very unique way.
Is it true you were nervous about the short-haired look?
Yes, I was, and remember when I was small, I didn’t like short hair. Even now, I am not a very big fan of shorter hair. When I got to know that my hair will be so short in the show, I felt low at that time and thought I have a chubby face, how will it go? Will I look odd? Initially, I was inundated with all these thoughts in my mind.
Meet is your third big lead role. How does it compare to others that you have played?
My first one (Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai) was a quite simple, sensible, and innocent girl, which I played on-screen, whereas my second role in Aladdin – Naam Toh Suna Hoga was of a fearless princess, who does a lot of action and is glamorous! This one is, of course, a tomboy character who speaks Haryanvi and does all that guys do. All the roles that I have played on-screen have been different in a way and I am lucky to be tagged as a versatile actor today, so can’t compare them.
What is the biggest challenge of playing this role?
There are many! The first thing I thought was whether I would be able to convince people or not because it was a big experiment and different from what I did earlier. I kept wondering if people will like me or not in this character? (Smiles) Like Meet can do things easily, in the same way, Ashi cannot in real life. This is a daily challenge for me, and it is a little difficult. But as an actor, I want to be recognised for my versatility. The biggest challenge while playing this character is people shouldn’t recognise me.
What do you mean?
They should think that Ashi and Meet are different and shouldn’t see that Ashi is the one who is playing Meet’s character. For instance, a few days back I was talking to a kid on a video call and when he saw me, he was like who is she, where is Meet? (Laughs) So, this is also one challenge I am facing where people don’t recognise me, and people don’t know the fact that I am the one who is playing Meet.
The expectations around you increase with each project. Does that put pressure on you?
Not really! I always think positive and try to perceive everything positively. Expectations
increase because people see you doing better with each passing project. And I try to fulfil all the expectations of people, but don’t let that get into my head or hamper my work.
What is it like working in lockdown?
I was at home when the first lockdown was imposed and not working on any project at that time. And in the start of the second lockdown, I was at home! In the middle of that I was offered Aladdin and felt blessed that I am working in lockdown because a large number of people lost their jobs and were at home for a very long time. So, I felt blessed and lucky that I got work and was working. It was risky to go on to the sets and meet hundreds of people, so I was filled with mixed emotions.
How much does your amazing fan support help you?
Fans make me feel motivated, like when I feel low or when I feel less of my myself, they always make me feel that okay, I am something and capable of doing something good or better. I cannot exactly explain in words how much they make me feel motivated, but they strengthen me in many ways.
You have made all the right moves, what is your plan going forward?
I guess life never works based on plans that we make. Talking about right moves, I never thought of outputs and believe in giving more than a hundred per cent. I signed seven to eight projects but something or the other happened and they didn’t work out. But whatever came to me later it turned out great. The three shows I have done have made me what I am. I am very glad to know that people loved me more than I ever imagined. I have just surrendered myself to God and his will.
Have you thought about acting in movies?
Yes, of course, working in movies was my childhood dream. To be honest, I’ve been lucky enough to play really good characters on television. I have auditioned for films and series, but I never got an interesting project to do and if I’ll be lucky enough to do a film, then I will surely do it.
Ashi Singh in Meet: Badlegi Duniya Ki Reet
Why should we all tune into Meet: Badlegi Duniya Ki Reet?
First of all, it gives out a good social message. Apart from that, it has a different
story, little drama, comedy and is an amalgamation of everything. It is interesting if you’ll watch it. I know that surely you will watch it on repeat. So, you should give it a chance. You will surely start liking it because of the unique concept. The whole team has put more than a hundred per cent efforts. We just need half an hour of your time every day to watch it and I am sure you will enjoy it.
The actor’s evolving style from youth to maturity getty images
Aamir Khan embracing vintage looks with classic charmgetty images
Bold and dramatic changes defining Aamir Khan’s careergetty images
From rugged to refined Aamir Khan’s versatile appearancesgetty images
Memorable film moments showcasing Aamir Khan’s unique stylegetty images
Aamir Khan’s blend of classic and contemporary fashiongetty images
Aamir Khan’s dedication to authentic character portrayals getty images
Cinematic milestones reflected in Aamir Khan’s on-screen imagegetty images
A seated Jain enlightened teacherAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Ganesha from JavaAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
A Chinese silk painting depicting the BuddhaAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
ArdhanarishvaraAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Head of a grimacing yakshaAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
NagaAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Bimaran casketAshmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Hunia Chawla
A still from rehearsal
Them performing liveNajmuddin Saifuddin Qawwal Group
The cast of Marriage Material in key moments from the play, including Avita Jay, Kiran Landa, Omar Malik, Irfan Shamji and Anoushka Deshmukh
Sathnam Sanghera’s 'Marriage Material' adapted into bold new play on conformity
The play Marriage Material at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s adaptation of Sathnam Sanghera’s novel of the same name, which first came out in 2013.
She is lucky to have Iqbal Khan direct Marriage Material. The play, a co-production with the Birmingham Rep, is set in the late 1960s. Mr and Mrs Bains (played by Jaz Singh Deol and Avita Jay) run a corner shop in Wolverhampton. Their younger daughter, Surinder (Anoushka Deshmukh), is 16, her sister Kamaljit (Kiran Landa) is just a bit older.
They have a neighbour, Patwant Dhanda (Irfan Shamji), who, as we shall soon see, is not a very pleasant man. In fact, he comes across just as racist as Enoch Powell, who represented Wolverhampton South West for the Tories from 1950 to 1974.
It will be recalled this was a time when Sikhs working on the buses were told they couldn’t wear a turban. That was a hard-fought battle that had to be won.
The Bains, meanwhile, simply want to get their girls married off.
Nothing new here, I thought.
What makes the tale different is that the plot twists and turns down the generations. Mr Dhanda, who has the makings of a paedophile, makes a pitch for one of the girls when Mr Bains dies early in the play. “A life with no man in the house is no life,” he informs the newly widowed Mrs Bains.
Mr Dhanda has a wife but she has returned to India so he considers himself to be a free man.
Surinder’s English teacher from school, Miss Flanagan (Celeste Dodwell), who is also head of the fifth form, tells Mrs Bains about her daughter: “I don’t want to embarrass you, but she is bright. Ridiculously bright.”
She adds: “Mrs Bains, I think it would be a pity if Surinder didn’t stay on at school.” The initial response from Mrs Bains is not encouraging: “Too much education makes people’s brains get mixed up, they don’t sleep at night…”
But she is finally persuaded that Surinder should be allowed to stay on for a while longer before being married off.
Mr Bains was very old school. When Surinder confides she would one day like to be “a somebody”, he is amused that “my daughter wants to be a somebody”.
“Like you,” she tells her father.
Mr Bains consoles his daughter: “We will find a somebody for you to marry.”
At the point of a possible marriage, however, Surinder is sweet-talked by chocolate salesman Jim Wilson (Tommy Belshaw) into running away with him. They share a love of literature, and he calls her “Sue Bains”. But the relationship does not end well.
Once she has left, Surinder is written off as “dead” by her family. The story that is circulated is that she was only 16 when she was killed in a car crash. That’s better than to let on that she ran off with a white man.
By the time she is reconciled with her sister towards the end of the play, a great deal has changed. Kamaljit married Tanvir Banga (Omar Malik), a young man who helped out in the Bains’ corner shop. When the two sisters meet again, Tanvir has also died. But he and Kamaljit had a son, Arjan Banga (Jaz Singh Deol doubles up for this role after the death of Mr Bains). He has come home after his father’s death to help his mother who is still running the family corner shop.
Meanwhile, Mr Dhanda’s business has prospered. He now has a son, Ranjit Dhanda (the role is taken by Omar Malik after Tanvir’s death), and he is nearly as unpleasant as his father.
Arjan has an English fiancée, Claire (Celeste Dodwell). In London, Arjan worked as a creative director. But after deciding to stay in Wolverhampton to help his mother, he decides he cannot marry Claire because she is white. In other words, Asians are not free of racism, either. Happily, at the end, the couple are reconciled.
As for Surinder, she parted company with Jim Wilson after realising he was all talk, depended on her for money and had failed to earn a penny from his literary pretensions. She had prospered, though, as a hotel owner and had been transformed in time into a well-groomed businesswoman. After being tracked down by Arjan, she decides to return to her roots in Wolverhampton and help Kamaljit run the family corner shop. Perhaps 50 years had passed during the passage of the play.
Being subjected to racism turned some Asians into racists themselves. The word goreh (white person) is repeatedly spat out with venom. Maybe it is worth remembering the play’s audience isn’t exclusively Asian – white folk are watching as well. And maybe some of the toilet humour ridiculing white people, which always makes me cringe, could be cut out.
In Sanghera’s novel, there is a quote from Enoch Powell’s speech in November 1968: “The West Indian or Asian does not, by being born in England, become an Englishman. In law he becomes a United Kingdom citizen by birth; in fact, he is a west Indian or an Asian still... he will by the very nature of things have lost one country without gaining another, lost one nationality without acquiring a new one. Time is running out against us and them. With the lapse of a generation or so we shall at last have succeeded – to the benefit of nobody – in reproducing ‘in England’s green and pleasant land’ the haunting tragedy of the US.”
In Marriage Material, where the acting is marvellous (apart from Mr Dhanda’s Indian mannerisms and accent being overdone) we do travel across a couple of generations.
There is a scene when Tanvir rejects Mr Dhanda’s vision of creating a little Punjab in Wolverhampton.
Mr Dhanda wants to take over the Bains’ corner shop and is putting pressure on Tanvir to sign the papers. He says: “In this country, money is the path to freedom.”
“Sign, please,” he instructs Tanvir. “We must make sure our children learn to behave nicely, according to our rules.”
He insists: “We maintain our identity so we can be ourselves.”
Tanvir disagrees: “We can be us here. With the goreh.”
Dhanda warns him: “Then we will be inviting chaos.”
Tanvir’s comment is telling: “You sound like Enoch.”
Kamaljit, who is expecting a baby with her husband Tanvir, says: “I would like my child to grow up knowing the history of the Gurus and to read the Granth Sahib. And to love their culture.”
Tanvir tells his wife: “I would like my child to go to the finest schools, to cheer for England in the World Cup and eat Yorkshire pudding on a Sunday.”
Kamaljit sets out a dream that has perhaps come to pass with many third and fourth generation British Asians: “Maybe our child can do both.” Much, much later, in a throwback to the past, we learn of Surinder’s O-level results: “Biology A, Chemistry A, English Language A, English Literature A, French A, History B, Latin A, Mathematics A, Physics A…”
Kamaljit tells her younger sister: “Never mind about the B.”
And that is quintessentially Asian. Their acting is outstanding.
Marriage Material is at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until June 21, and at the Birmingham Rep from June 25-July 5