Ayesha Jhulka on her digital debut Hush Hush: Making my comeback helmed by a female director is a celebration

Actress Ayesha Jhulka became an overnight sensation in the 90s soon after her Aamir Khan starrer film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar hit the screens. While she continued to work in the film industry henceforth, this is the first time she will be seen in a web series after a gap of a few years. At the trailer launch event of the Amazon Prime Video original, the actress shared that bagging a substantial role in her middle age and being directed by a female helmer speaks volumes about the progress that has happened in the industry in the last few years. 

The actress was present at the trailer launch of the web show Hush Hush alongside her other co-stars of the show - Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami, Karishma Tanna, Kritika Kamra and the creator of the show Tanuja Chandra. 

While interacting with the media, Ayesha said, "I feel really lucky to be directed by a female director first time in my entire career and that too for my debut on a new medium like OTT. I have spent almost 27 years in the film and entertainment industry and never worked with a female filmmaker, or haven't seen the presence of so many female members in the crew. That speaks a volume about how everything has changed for good. We women are much more capable of proving our talent." 

Elaborating on what makes it so special for the actress to work under a female director, she said, "Tanuja pushed me to the extent to understand the potential I have as an actress within me, that I did not know. It is like a self-discovery that happened because of Hush Hush. She made me realise and deliver a performance that only a female director could. Please do not get me wrong, I am not saying that male directors are not doing their job right, they are; but I just feel that Tanuja, as a female director, could understand the depth of another female better. I really enjoyed working with all my co-stars and especially Karishma Tanna. She is playing a cop and one should watch out for her performance." 

The actress mentioned that as an audience she rarely missed out on any Indian web series that has been released on OTT platforms because she is a huge consumer of digital content. In the back of her mind, she wanted to see herself as one of those wonderful actors in a web show but did not know how to go about it. 

Ayesha shared, "When Tanuja reached out to me regarding the show, I was not ready or I would say I was nervous. I was not working for the past three years. So, I was taking a step back but the offer was exciting, and the story was interesting. It was one of those feelings where I wished to do it but was not sure if I can. But I must give credit to Tanuja, our director for this, who did not take 'no' as an answer! She kept on telling me that the role is made for me and she cannot imagine casting anyone else. Her encouragement somewhere gave me the strength to take up the opportunity."   

As it is the first time that the actress has worked in a web series, she said that the experience of shooting for a series is very different, not only because of the length of the show but also the way the work culture has changed from the 90s era to now. 

"Earlier there were not that many workshops and preparation for an actress for any films that I have done in the past. So, we went through a process of understanding the character, certain nuances that one has to keep in mind etc. But I must mention that the entire cast and crew were very supportive and welcoming. They were very respectful. I was shooting for a big show after a long time and of course, I was nervous but these girls, my co-stars were so supportive and made me feel comfortable. I am given the respect, I started from where I left," Ayesha signed off. 

Hush Hush, produced by Vikram Malhotra under Abundantia Entertainment, is all set to release on September 22 on Prime Video.