Hiba Nawab: My father said this is one of my best works to date

After five years of comedy, Hiba on her dad’s reaction to taking up Woh Toh Hai Albelaa with mentor Rajan Shahi

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Hiba Nawab as she headlines Rajan Shahi’s Woh Toh Hai Albelaa. After her first youth-based show Crazy Stupid Ishq, the actor’s first daily soap Tere Sheher Mein was produced by Shahi. “He is like a mentor to me. I was not doing anything when I got a call from him. I love working with him and I adore his creative vision,” she says, adding that the story of the Shaheer Sheikh-starrer strengthened her decision. “It is a different show filled with twists and turns and no kitchen politics”.

Accustomed to comedy over the last few years, Nawab says that returning to drama and romance was tough. “Anything new or alien is difficult. When I entered comedy, it was extremely difficult. Eventually, I got comfortable doing it. When I came back to drama and romance, it took me almost a month-and-a-half to get used to it. Luckily, the makers, co-actors, and the crew were patient with me. They helped me ease into the process,” says Nawab. Despite doing several daily soaps, she walked in blind when she started shooting for the show. “I told Rajan sir that he needed to mould me [into the character] since my mind was blank. He wanted someone raw, and we both took up the challenge.” A challenge it was, especially when it came to romancing co-actors at least a decade older than her. Nawab’s character is in love with Anuj Sachdeva and as the story progresses, Sheikh will become her love interest. “The other day, Shaheer and I were doing a promotional shoot. We had to look into each other’s eyes and set a romantic mood. However, the moment we looked at each other, we ended up laughing. Even with Anuj, it was awkward in the beginning, but now we are both used to it. I don’t know about Shaheer, but I am uncomfortable and with time, I am sure it will become better,” adds the 25-year-old actor.

While Nawab was ready for the switch — her biggest critic, her father — was not too happy with her decision. “My father was not in favour of me taking up this genre again because he liked seeing me do comedy. [After watching the show], he told me that this is one of my best works to date. That makes me happy and relieved.”

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