EXCLUSIVE! The very moment I heard Tanuja Chandra was the director, I was totally ready for my OTT debut, says Ayesha Jhulka

After having delivered superhit films like 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar', 'Khiladi' and many others, Ayesha Jhulka took a sabbatical from showbiz. In an exclusive interview with Mid-Day Online, she revealed the reason for choosing Tanuja Chandra’s thriller series ‘Hush Hush’ as her digital debut.

'Hush Hush'- the name itself is interesting and intriguing. In a nutshell, can you tell us the plot of the thriller?
(laughs). It’s a little too soon for me to speak about the thriller’s plot. I am quite a diehard fan of the OTT space. I really found the plot to be extremely interesting. We are launching the trailer very soon. You will get to know more in the trailer. (laughs)  

What is it about 'Hush Hush' that made you sign the dotted lines?
I had been approached so many times in the past to do OTT. But, as they say, I wasn’t getting the vibes. But, with ‘Hush Hush’, it’s a different thing altogether. The icing in the cake is the thriller’s director Tanuja Chandra

What is it about 'Hush Hush' that made you change your mind about your debut in OTT space?
Speaking of ‘Hush Hush’, let me tell you that it’s on a different level altogether. The very moment I heard Tanuja Chandra's name as the director, I was totally ready for my OTT debut! She had approached me pre-Covid and was extremely adamant that I should do the series. She narrated the whole script and my character with complete conviction. She was so convinced and ‘powerfully adamant’ that only ‘Ayesha Jhulka’ could play the role of my character in ‘Hush Hush’. It was Tanuja's  conviction that pulled me towards the character. By the time the lockdown ended, she called me again and told, ‘Now we are ready. Now, you better say yes’. By then, I was totally convinced about my character. I have never ever seen such a beautiful and performance-oriented character so far.

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Can you please tell us about your role in the series?
All that I can just say is that, my character in ‘Hush Hush’ is extremely powerful and will definitely be quite a surprise. I haven’t played this kind of role before. This is THE BEST role of my career. I can only tell you this much. It’s a very author backed role. I am really privileged to have got this kind of a comeback and 'introduction' in the OTT space. Till the time we do the press conference to officially announce everything about 'Hush Hush', I would like to be ‘hush hush’ about everything! (laughs)

‘Hush Hush’ marks your digital debut. Will we be seeing you more on the digital space now?
Of course, yes. The way I have enjoyed working on this, I am looking forward to working with more directors with stronger scripts.  

Will you now go back and reconsider the scripts that had been offered to you earlier for OTT or would you want to wait for the future scripts?
I would want to wait. The reason why I had refused the scripts earlier because they weren't attractive enough. This has got nothing to do with the OTT space. The kind of roles were not challenging enough. Maybe I had to make a comeback with Tanuja, who had promised me that I will not recognize myself in ‘Hush Hush’. And true to her promise and words, I just could not recognize myself in the series.

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