EXCLUSIVE: Surbhi Chandna: Ishqbaaaz means everything to me; we are all like one huge family on sets

500 episodes and Star Plus’ popular show Ishqbaaaz continues to make people believe in love. High on emotions, be it love, hate, respect, family values, bromance, drama, suspense; there is nothing that the show doesn’t have to offer. Pinky Promise!

With Nakuul Mehta as Shivaay Singh Oberoi and Surbhi Chandna as Annika as the root of this big brand called Ishqbaaaz, the show continues to achieve milestones whilst challenging gender stereotypes and patriarchy. 

Surbhi aka our very own khidkitod Annika spoke exclusively to PINKVILLA, despite being unwell. From what Ishqbaaaz means to her, her overall journey to her off-screen camaraderie with her co-stars, Surbhi was at her candid best. 

Surbhi even won the Best Actor award recently for her impeccable portrayal of the role onscreen.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

On Ishqbaaaz completing 500 episodes

Our finding grounds are our fans, they have helped us reach 500 episodes and I am sure with their love and support, we will hit many more milestones in future.

Having said that, when you start off, you don’t expect the kind of adulation we are getting, it is just so overwhelming. Having played so many characters, be it Kumari Rosy Rani or Annika or a Hyderabadi Muslim girl, I have learned so much. Ishqbaaaz has become a big brand now, everyone in the team, be it the cameraperson, the director, has worked really hard on it and we are really proud of our property. I feel so complete when I am on sets, I always look forward to it even if I am not keeping well. It is such a beautiful feeling which is impossible to express in words. 

On life after 500 episodes of Ishqbaaaz

I was at an event recently in Amravati where I was taken by surprise at the response I received. It was maddening, even the 8-9 bouncers that the organisers had arranged were seeming less. To see people going mad, pushing each other to get a glimpse of me, I don’t know, it was overwhelming. 

Even if I want to have an air about myself, I just can’t because I am a little jhalli. Jhalli is not the right word, I like being my real self. I have seen so much in life, having worked behind the camera for long, these things don’t fascinate me but seeing the maddening response there, oh my god, I feel so touched. I am speechless. 

continues…

From the time I entered the industry, from everyone being skeptical about me initially to now finally accepting me and loving everything about me, life has definitely changed. 

Ishqbaaaz to you means…

Ishqbaaaz means everything to me, currently. It keeps me going and I want it to be the same. The craze I have seen for this show is unprecedented. It is currently my life. 

On Shivika’s journey

It is beautiful and we have gone through multiple phases. Now, when I do a few scenes, I am reminded of the initial phase where there was so much banter. I don't want them [Shivika] to have babies anytime soon but I want to see their love getting more intense, I want to see their banter keep going and see them in their individual elements. Shivika’s USP has always been about their banter along with their love, and people also love that I think.

On her camaraderie with co-stars

Everybody is a go-to person on the sets I think. I am so involved with the girls [Shrenu Parikh, Mansi Shrivastava and Neha Laxmi Iyer] when it comes to having fun on sets. Our bond is strong. If I have to seek any advice regarding acting or otherwise, I go to Nitika ji (who plays the character of Pinky), Siraj uncle (who plays the character of Shakti), or Mahesh ji (who plays the character of Tej). If I need any professional advice, I approach Nakuul [Mehta], he is always there to help me. We are all like one huge family on sets.

On responding to criticism

Honestly, I don’t respond to criticism. I read everything and sometimes get hurt too but my way of responding to all that chaos is to stay calm and learn from it. I always look at the positive side and work on the shortcomings, if any. People expect me to follow others' footstep and be an avid social media user but if I do that, where is my individuality in it? I don’t understand why I have to live the way they want? They can leave me a comment and I would definitely consider their suggestions but them asking me to be like others is just sad. 

They [fans] have made me, I will always be grateful to them for that but my only request to them is to refrain from comparisons. 

Her bucket list includes… 

Apart from doing Ishqbaaaz, I also want to try my hands at hosting so if something comes my way, I wouldn’t give it a miss. I also want to plan a family vacation this year because I haven’t spent time with my family since I started doing the show. I want to take them abroad and see the happiness on their face.

Ishqbaaaz airs at 10 PM on Star Plus. 

Here’s a shoutout to the entire Ishqbaaaz team! Congratulations!