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Karan Singh Grover And I Are Very Close: Qubool Hai 2.0's Nehalaxmi Iyer (Exclusive)
The cute Nehalaxmi Iyer is quite excited about her second web outing Qubool Hai 2.0, which starts streaming on Zee5 from March 12. She also was a part of Bhalla Calling Bhalla, again on Zee5, shot during the lockdown. The television actress gets talking to Filmibeat about Qubool Hai 2.0, and her friendship with co-stars Karan Singh Grover and Surbhi Jyoti.
Neha also talks about how she prefers TV to the bold digital streaming medium. "Although Qubool Hai 2.0 marks my big-ticket digital entry, I am not comfortable with the extreme bold content permeating its landscape. Being a TV gal, I prefer decent family-oriented stories, and will never go dare-bare. I am open to more such clean outings (QH2.0) on the Internet," she says.
Nehalaxmi Iyer, who had debuted on the tube years back as a child artiste with Deeya and Tony Singh's Banegi Apni Baat, has also been seen in popular TV shows like Na Aana Is Des Laado and Sasural Simar Ka.
Talking about Qubool Hai 2, she says, "Since I also was part of Qubool Hai season 1 which aired on Zee from 2012-2016, it is like coming home. I continue to play Najma, the younger sister of Asad (Karan Singh Grover). Najma is now more confident and tries to help out her Bhai jaan. This time she is shown engaged, so there will be scenes with her fiancé as well."
"My onscreen mom Dilshad (Shalini Kapoor) and I were not part of the much talked about Serbian schedule of Qubool Hai 2.0. Our portions were canned in Mumbai. The setting is Delhi," adds Neha.
"Although Karan and I hardly rubbed shoulders on Qubool Hai 2.0 sets, we are still close due to our brother-sister equation forged during Qubool Hai season 1. Bhaiya is very protective of me. He would call me by nickname 'Tamatar', which was used in the show as well."
What about girl bonding with Qubool Hai 2.0 female lead Surbhi Jyoti? "We hit it off very well during Qubool Hai. She had then just come to Mumbai from Jalandhar. We lived close, so we would travel to set together. During off-hours, we let our hair down, dancing away to gay abandon. The fact that we had lots of scenes as sisters-in-law and best friends together brought us even closer," reveals a smiling Neha.
"After Qubool Hai season 1 wrapped up, we would bump into each other at dos. Surbhi was also part of Ishqbaaaz, which was again made by Gul Khan, the woman behind Qubool Hai. Surbhi and I did not have scenes in Qubool Hai 2.0, but yes, we met in between shots and again had a blast!"
Neha is confident about Qubool Hai 2.0 for the great chemistry between the leads and the writing of Mrinal Jha. "Apart from penning the script in season 1, Mrinal is now producing the QH 2.0 in conjunction with her better half Abhigyaan Jha. Her presence on set helps us actors, better get our respective characters," adds Neha.
Qubool Hai 2.0 is a different take from the original family saga Qubool Hai with the addition of the thriller element," Neha further adds.
In closing, Neha says that the super hit Star Plus show Ishqbaaaz, which had three couples in the lead, made her a household name. "Luckily, I was not trolled for Sonia (her character name) turning grey. Usually, I'm not too fond of antagonist shades, but I agreed, with Ishqbaaaz being special."
Any regrets about the way Ishqbaaaz wrapped up? All the leads sans Nakkul Mehta were axed, yet his pairing with Manjiri Pupala and Niti Taylor did not cut much ice with the TRPs either.
To which Neha replies categorically, "Having been around for years, I know there is no scope for emotions in show business. If you lose your mojo, exit the stage. Period."
