Nakuul Mehta: Had LGBTQiA+ representation in the show’s writing team

There is a certain charm to Nakuul Mehta mdash be it his ideas his beliefs that determine his script choices or his social media activities Only this can explain why the actor only three shows old has gone on to become one of the most popular television stars Now Mehta is ready to woo audiences with his first audio show Mine amp Yours season 2 In a quick chat with midday the actor discusses the Audible show and its representation of the LGBTQiAQIA communityEdited excerpts from the interviewDid you have any inhibitions about doing an audio showOn the contrary I was excited because you donrsquot have to worry about hair makeup and costume you can show up to work in shorts We recorded it at a time when none of us could travel So through the show I could imagine myself in New York rappelling on a river etc This was also my first gig after the pandemic struck So we had a skeletal crew of just the actors mdash Kubbra Sait Sayani Gupta and me We tested every day hoping that we were safe That aside just to be in front of a mic in a controlled environment with coactors felt so freeing It was a joyrideDid the lack of a visual aid leave you perplexed during any sequenceSayani and I had jammed on a theatre production called Cock while I was doing my first TV show Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara Wersquove had a rapport since When we started with rehearsals and reading our chemistry was organic But at the end of a scene we had to depict a kiss Visually you know how to depict it but a kiss on the mic was new for me and I went all out Mantra director burst out laughing saying that it was not supposed to be a French kiss Toning it down and making it subtle was a learning pointThe love triangle sees you competing with a woman for the attention of your ladylove How did that feelThat was hard Behind this story is a sensitive conversation that the writers and creators are trying to put out there Jai his character knew that Priya Guptarsquos character had a past but when the past comes in the present how do you deal with it I am hopeful that the LGBTQiA community will hear this show and be proud of what wersquove created We have done it in a humane respectful and beautiful way The writing is so nuanced At no point is Jai throwing daggers at Aisha he is trying to understand the situation For me the story is interesting because a person can be drawn equally to different sexes It is important to have that conversationDid you have anyone from the LGBTQiA community oversee the contentWe had representation in the writing team The story was crafted sensitively and sensibly I have a lot of friends from the community and I can say this is one show that has been handled well There is no overthetop drama about different sexual orientations We are still finding tools in mainstream media to normalise it This show probably will hit the right notesWhat kind of conversation do you expect the show to startTo be honest it is an entertaining show we are not here to start a movement Through the show I learnt that because you might be heterosexual it doesnrsquot give you the right to judge someone else based on their choices This is a beautiful way to put this conversation out there without really having a lsquoconversationrsquo I am hoping people will talk about it on social media That is the need of the hour Popular networks still shy away from this subjectAlso Read Nakuul Mehtas wife Jankee pens note on her life after delivering a baby