Exclusive: ‘You are never fully prepared for trolling till it happens to you,’ says Ashi Singh

Ashi Singh/PR image

Ashi Singh currently seen on Meet: Badlegi Duniya Ki Reet, is still remembered as Naina from the hit show based on the '90s, Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai. The actress had earlier replaced Avneet Kaur as Princess Yasmine on Aladdin-Naam Toh Suna Hoga opposite Siddharth Nigam and she had to battle trolls. The actress speaks to mid-day.com about how she tackles the perks and challenges of showbiz.

How did you land you latest show Meet?
When I auditioned for Meet, I felt I didn't suit the character. So I was surprised when I got a call after two months. I had to look like a tomboy and speak Haryanvi, while I have a sweet, fine voice. The makers told me they wanted cuteness in the girl though she is a tomboy. Later, I was told that they want my hair to be really short and I was shocked because I don't like short hair and felt it wouldn't suit me. I have never had hair below shoulder length, so we did a look test for an entire month. I tried wigs, with loose denims and a loose shirt. Finally the makers decided on the tight denims with a loose shirt look.

You had to deal with several trolls when you entered Aladdin, in place of Avneet Kaur...
When I joined Aladdin, I got too much negativity and I was replacing someone (Avneet Kaur) so I knew I would get that hatred. However, you are never fully prepared till it happens to you. I usually used to check all the DMs on Instagram even if I didn't reply to them. Then one fine day I just stopped, when I realised the negativity was getting to me. So the only solution was to ignore trolls. I tried to focus on making my character different; people shouldn't feel that there hasn't been a replacement. At the end of the day I did manage to achieve it because I got love for that show as well.

Do people still call you Naina from Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai?
Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai completed four years a few days ago, but I don't feel like it because wherever I go, people still call me Naina. People still love me as Naina.

Any character on your bucket list?
People say I have an innocent, girl next door face. So I would like to do a negative or psychotic character which is the opposite of my personality.

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