Exclusive! Ayesha Jhulka on her complex character in Hush Hush: I am used to playing simple characters like 'nacho gaao, aur jao'

Ayesha Jhulka was one of the most popular and loved actors back in the 90s. After being in the industry for three decades, the actor made her OTT debut with Hush Hush, created by Tanuja Chandra. For the first time, in the Amazon Prime Video series, the actor played a very complex role, unlike the characters she has played since the 90s. The character of Mira is someone with negative shades and dark undertones, which the actor has never attempted before.

Jhulka jumped with joy on being asked how she pulled off a character like this and exclusively told OTTplay, "I don't even know what I pulled off actually. I'm in a place without water, like an absolute desert. I really want to know because it's been so many years since I haven't done anything. The only woman who had this confidence in me and always boosted it. Even half an hour ago, she'd been saying, 'I'm just going to feel so happy when people praise you.' That's why she can't even imagine how I'm dying to see it but hear it too. I know the show is fantastic, but I'm very greedy. I want to know what I've done because it's been so many years and I hope I've done justice."

While Chandra added, "That's the thing now, because if you haven't worked for a long time, you're really nervous. You feel nervous, of course, even if you've been working for a long time. I still feel nervous, so it's not just that you forget what it felt like to get feedback. It's been so long actually to hear that 'she has pulled off a complex character,' which can only make you thrilled, as it makes me. I'm so thrilled."

Jhulka also praised the filmmaker and called her "guru". She shared, "If you have a good teacher or a good tutor, there are very few chances that you will fail. There are a lot of chances for you to get fabulous marks. It may not be 100%, but it will be far above your expectations. My entire credit would go to my teacher, Tanuja, and I'm sure she will second that because I actually sat like a student there as if I really didn't know anything because I didn't want to do anything. I wanted this character to come out as she sees it, not as I see it. I didn't want to do anything more as an actor than what I actually could do to just play that character."

Chandra shared that the actor's character as Mira looked humane. The Dushman helmer said, "Now that I think about it, this is what has made it human, given it that humane thing, despite the fact of what kind of thing she's involved in. But the fact that Ayesha Jhulka, the actor, isn't trying to judge her, isn't trying to say, 'This is who I think Mira is.' She's just open to just being Mira, following, of course, a lot of the input that I was giving. But what happens there is that the viewer can't deny that, okay, there's something about her or about her life that is not very nice. But at the same time, you can't hate her. What a beautiful situation that is, because that is exactly what I wanted. There is something about her that you love, and yet you're angry with her for the kind of thing that she's involved in. She herself says that she's revolted at herself. And goodness, that's a very strong person. So the fact that you, as the actor, were not judging all the time and saying, 'But listen, what will people think?' The thing is, by not doing that, you just make her human, and that's actually really what I wanted." 

Jhulka also revealed that she didn't doubt her character at all, given that Chandra wrote it in such a way. The Khiladi actor said, "I actually never asked her a single "questioning" question on set. Everything she said outweighs my reservations. It was not my doubt at all, as I never doubted his character. Once I said yes, I completely surrendered to her because nobody knows any character better than she. She's living with it, breathing it. We had just started breathing it. That was the case. So I never questioned her. In any case, I didn't question her, not even once. When she's explaining something, all I do is look at her. I used to read her eyes and try and just concentrate on her expressions. Sometimes I would tell her to enact because I didn't realise that I had this potential. The more she would say she's this or she's that, the more I would actually get scared. I would wonder how I could do so many things with just one character. I am used to playing simple characters like 'naacho gaao, aur jao', but this is too much. I understood, there is no alternative, it's better to just surrender."

The actor shared, "The best part about this woman is that she is someone who people like me thrive on. The moment she gets her shot, you will see her coming and hugging you, praising you, genuinely praising you. You will go back home and still get a message from her and say, 'You did this so well.' I thrive on this kind of encouragement. I'm sure everybody must be loving it, but I do. It makes me do even better the next time because I want her to say that again too. I am selfish. I want more. So yes, I think she was very instrumental in everything. I didn't want to be Aisha, and she didn't want me to be Aisha either. She wanted me to be somebody else, and if I have achieved that, the crown is hers."

Hush Hush is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.