Exclusive! Aksha Pardasany teases a surprise in Kathmandu Connection 2: It will be quite shocking for everybody

Aksha Pardasany is gearing up to make a rip roaring comeback in Kathmandu Connection season 2. The latest season will see Aksha reprise her role as Shivani, the daring journalist who found herself in the thick of dealings with dangerous gangsters. The trailer of the new season seems to suggest that the crime world is not done with Shivani, as the journalist finds herself in the thick of yet another conspiracy.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Aksha spoke about what drew her to the character, what to expect from season 2, her fondness for the OTT space, her upcoming projects and more.

Kathmandu Connection season 2 will be available for streaming on SonyLIV from December 23.

Excerpts from the interview…

What can we expect from Shivani in season 2? How has her dynamic with Samarth and Sunny changed?

Honestly, as far as Shivani is concerned,or for that matter the whole series is concerned, the story takes a five year leap from what has happened in season 1. So every character, not just Shivani but also Samarth and Sunny are in a very different place in their life.

But of course, there is a Kathmandu connection. And there is a conspiracy, which is way bigger. In Season One, we did focus a lot on the personal aspects of every character. But in season two, it's a little bigger than that. And I think, the one common link through the entire conspiracy, is Shivani. And even though she does not want to be a part of the conspiracy, unfortunately, or fortunately, she is at the centre of it. That's how she kind of gets pulled back into the whole connection again, and that's how these things are coming back into this whole dynamic that she was wanting to be away from. When we begin the second season, it's a five year leap, and Shivani is in a completely different phase in her life, and she's completely moved on (from the events that took place in season 1). And although she does not want to repeat whatever happened in season 1, with the whole dynamic between Samarth and Sunny, she somehow does get pulled back into it. And that's how we begin the story.

So when it comes to her characterization, could she be considered a morally grey character?

Honestly every character in the series is grey. For me, it's a very personal experience to play Shivani. I don't know what the audience thinks, do they consider her grey or do they sympathise with her or do they love her or hate her for what she did. But for me, personally, it was a very personal experience, because I was playing her, so I understood her journey. I always knew the backstory behind what she was doing and why she was doing it. For me, I never saw her as grey. I always thought that whatever she did, was something any girl who was in love, and was dragged into such a situation, would do. In fact, I don't see her as grey at all. I think she is extremely brave and if I were to be in a situation like that, I don't think I would be as brave as Shivani. So no, I never saw her as a grey character.

What would you say is your favourite thing about the character? What made you say yes to the character in the first place?

I think her strength. Because when I compare Aksha to Shivani, there's a stark difference in the way I would handle a certain situation and the way Shivani would handle it. I think Shivani is somebody who thinks a 100 times before she speaks, she has 100 things going on in her head and she has a world of emotions going on in her heart which she can't really speak about. And nobody knows what she's thinking. Nobody knows what she's up to. And I think she has a world of secrets behind her eyes. She speaks through her eyes. I think that is the beauty of the character, you know, to think 100 times before she says anything to anybody. And you never know what's going on in her mind. So I think that's the beauty of this character. That's what attracted me the most.

You talked about how the character was very different from who you are as a person. But I also wanted to ask, are there any similarities between the two of you? Can we see a bit of you in the character? Or is there a way that you tried to make the character your own?

Absolutely. At the end of the day, we are actors.The writing of any character is the skeleton, and the actors bring the flesh and the bones and breathe life into a particular character. And I think that, for me, the similarity between Shivani and Aksha will probably be the fact that we will go to any lengths to protect the ones that we love. And we will go to any lengths for love. I think that is probably the only similarity. But apart from that, the way Shivani does things is very different from what I would do.

How was the experience on set this time different from season 1? Were you more at ease with the character, the role, the setting and everything?

In terms of comfort, you're familiar with the people, your co-actors, your colleagues etc. So in that sense, it is very comfortable. But, the second seasons are usually more complex than the first. As an actor, you end up doing different things over a period of time. Season one was shot a year ago, and then, a year later, we shot season two, and there's a lot of things that have happened in the middle. Because there is a little bit of a shift in emotion, the hardest part is actually trying to get into the mind space of the character again, and trying to relive her journey again. At the end of the day, we go around and do other work, and you do different things, and you play different characters. So you have to kind of do your homework for season two, because you have to convince the audience of a character in season one. But then playing her with conviction in season two, that's the hard part actually.

You have done a lot of work in both the OTT sphere, as well as on the big screen. Is there a preference you have when it comes to these different mediums?

Honestly, no, I do not have a preference as such. I have done about 15 movies in the South in a very commercial cinema space. After that, I kind of shifted to OTT. The only reason why I did that was because, initially it was just about getting an opportunity and becoming an actress. That was the big part. So it was all about just doing what you get. And then I reached a stage where, the OTT platform really gave me an opportunity to challenge the actor in me. I feel that in the commercial stage, there's very less scope for an actor or, particularly, an actress, because initially it was all about looking good and adding glamour to a certain project. But the OTT space has opened up so many options, be it for actors, actresses, character artists. Its not about only looking good any more. It's all about being the part and OTT has taught me a lot. It has really changed the way I look at my work. It's really given me an opportunity to experience and play different characters, which is so refreshing and so liberating. Because now I don't feel the need to do characters that just make me look pretty. I think the things that challenged me are only on OTT and I think that's an experience I am really enjoying.

When it comes to projects, is there a particular genre which has become your favourite? Or is there any kind of genre or project that you do want to try your hand at?

I would love to do something like an out and out comedy or I would love to do something that falls in the action genre. I would love to explore that.

Can we get to see Shivani in some action packed situations or anything of the sort?

I don't think so(laughs). Because Shivani is a journalist at the end of the day, so there is no scope. But in season two, there is a little bit of a surprise. There is a little bit of a surprise, although it is not what you might be expecting in terms of the action part. But yeah, for sure. That is something that will be quite shocking for everybody.

Could you speak a bit about your upcoming projects as well?

So Kathmandu Connection will release on December 23. And then I'm doing another series titled Rafuchakkar, directed by Ritam Srivastav and also starring Maniesh Paul. I’m also working on a film, for which I'm currently shooting for in Bangkok. Yeah, that's about it for now.