Ishitta Arun On Audience's Love For Single Papa, Recreating Bijuria With Sonu Nigam & More - EXCLUSIVE

Ishitta Arun interview: At Filmibeat, we love interacting with artists who are passionate towards their craft and don't shy away from experimenting and taking up non-conventional roles. As we step forward in 2026, it's important to revisit the fond memories of last year, and so, we engaged in a heartfelt conversation with the talented Ishitta Arun.

2025 was such an important year for Ishita Arun as she featured in two major hits on Netflix. She entertained the masses with her power-packed performances in Rana Naidu 2 ad Single Papa. In an exclusive with Filmibeat Chief Copy Editor Abhishek Ranjit, the actress-singer got candid about the audience's love for Single Papa, her thought process while selecting roles.

Ishitta bared her heart out as she talked about her upcoming projects, recreating Bijuria with Sonu Nigam, and also revealed if she got affected by the online trolls.

Here are excerpts from the fun-filled interview-

1. I wanted to congratulate you as 2025 has been such a rocking year for you in terms of good work. Rana Naidu season 2, Single Papa- you continued to showcase your talent. How do you reflect?

It's honestly been a really good year, and I'm very grateful. I got to work on Rana Naidu, Single Papa, and Mistry, and when you're an actor who's working regularly, you stop classifying things as 'good work' or 'bad work.' You're just grateful to be doing the work, to be learning, to be on set, to be alive and healthy and doing what you love. That's a privilege. So when I look back at 2025, I genuinely feel thankful. I can't complain. The universe has been generous.

2. I loved your character of Meenu Minocha in Single Papa. The vibe associated with the character resonated well with the audience. I wanted to know what your thought process is while taking up characters?

I actually try not to overthink a role. I like to approach it like a blank canvas and let the writing lead, because for me, the writer is king. If the script is strong and you read it deeply enough, most of the character is already there on the page. After that, I respond instinctively. Method acting has never really worked for me. My first instinct usually tells me everything I need to know, whether the role is big or small.

What I do enjoy working on is the invisible backstory. Where she comes from, her world, her likes and dislikes, even the kind of shoes she might wear. Those little details help me inhabit the character organically without forcing it.

3. You set the internet on fire when you have recreated Bijuria with Sonu Nigam. The video went viral and grabbed eyeballs. How does it feel to witness so much love pouring from all corners? Can we expect more such collaborations?

I love collaborations. Honestly, I didn't even know Bijuria had been recreated someone casually mentioned it to me and one thing led to another. I messaged Sonu saying, 'While we're still breathing and relevant, we should do something together.' He, being the overachiever that he is, said, 'Let's not just do it, let's make Dharma do it.' So that escalated quickly.

I've been lucky to collaborate with some fantastic people early in my career and funnily enough, we're all still around, still working, still causing mild creative chaos. So expect more of these happy throwback collaborations. We're clearly cut from the same cloth of ambition and stubborn survival instincts. We're not going anywhere.

4- What's next for Ishita as an artist? Any genre or art form that you would like to next work in?

What's next for me is continuing to explore OTT with a wide range of characters, because that's where the performer in me really comes alive. I enjoy playing with different shades, whether it's serious, comic, or even slightly darker.

At the same time, I'm keen to expand my creative horizon and nurture the writer and entrepreneur in me as well. I like building things, not just performing in them. So what's next is always something creative, always a step forward. I don't always know exactly what shape it will take, but I do know I want to keep pushing my boundaries and watching my ideas grow into something bigger.

5. When are we seeing a peppy and energetic collaboration with your mom again? How does she inspire you as an artist?

I'd love to collaborate with my mom more often, though honestly, pinning her down for a reel is an Olympic sport. She gives me a tough time, makes me work for every shot, and then casually nails it in one take. Clearly, I know where the genes come from.

Jokes apart, everything about how I approach my work, my sensibilities, even how I balance being a performer and a mother, has been shaped by watching her over the years. Somewhere in my mind, there's always this reminder that if she could reinvent and keep growing at her stage of life, so can I. She's still working, still curious, still pushing herself and that's exactly the kind of artist I want to become. I'd love for us to eventually collaborate professionally on screen someday.

6. With love comes brickbats, how do you keep your sanity alive, because, as a celebrity, you often face the ire of the faceless trolls on social media

I've grown up around trolls long before social media made it convenient. My mom dealt with it in the old days when people didn't even have direct access. So honestly, I'm fairly immune by now.

The only way I stay sane is by staying rooted in the present, focusing on my family and my work, and being honest about what feels right to me. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters.