EXCLUSIVE: Surbhi Chandna opens up about her exit from Ishqbaaaz, recounts her journey as Annika
In an EXCLUSIVE interview with PINKVILLA, Surbhi Chandna spoke about her exit from Ishqbaaaz, her relationship with Gul Khan and also recounted her journey as Annika. Read on.
If there is one word which best describes Surbhi Chandna, it is khidkithod, just like her character Annika in Ishqbaaaz. The actor with her unique dictionary, raw style and grace won hearts like no one else and gave us a character which will be cherished and remembered for years. She was not the usual damsel in distress but a strong headed woman just like Surbhi in real life. Much to everyone's dismay, Surbhi is all set to bid adieu to Annika, but the character shall continue to inspire every fan, without a doubt. In a quick and EXCLUSIVE chat with Surbhi, we asked her everything that has been bothering fans, to which she answered diligently.
To begin with, we asked her WHY? Why this decision? To which, Surbhi explained, "It was a creative decision. A generation leap was in the pipeline which I was not a part of and that's it. I am nobody to question it and I am sure they must have given it a lot of thought before coming to this decision." She, however, added that everything is cool and she is cherishing each moment currently. When asked about her fans going berserk with posters and trends ever since the news broke the internet, Chandna added, "I did not understand this craze earlier and slowly when I understood, I was overwhelmed, yes, and I appreciate all their efforts but I just want to tell them to relax and wait for me to come onscreen next.”
Acknowledging the immense efforts by fans, Surbhi stated, “I know people feel a sense of attachment especially when its been 2 and a half years of playing Annika but I want them to relax. I know the character has touched a lot of hearts but then there are certain things you cannot avoid and question and that happened in this case. It is okay. But what I am happy about is that it has been such a wonderful journey, it has been a galore of cakes, flowers and craze, I had never imagined this and I am signing off with full content in my heart. Couldn't have asked for anything more.”
She also had a message for fans who cannot imagine Shivika without her. “I think the fans should enjoy Shivika together till the time we are there. The last few episodes are going to be fun, the wedding and all of it, it is going to be enjoyable episodes.”
Surbhi also addressed the most important query bothering her fans the most and clarified that there is no bad blood between Gul and her. “There is a lot of likability between us. What more do we want?” she expressed. When asked about the rumours of her not willing to play a mother onscreen, she said, “Very honestly, the pregnancy track was discussed with me but it was going to a very short lived thing, eventually the generation leap was to happen. I felt that when I have played such young characters on screen, be it Shanoo or Rosie, and even Annika, I couldn't picture myself as a mother, so how would I play it convincingly on screen? I still feel young. It is my first outing on TV and I wanted to take time and Gul understands this completely.”
Gul has hinted in her interviews that she might bring back Chandna for another show. To this, everyone’s favourite Annika said, “I am sure she has things in her mind which we will discuss when we meet. She is a creator and a superb maker, she must be having hundreds of things in her mind and when we do collaborate, will let you guys know.”
Next, we asked Surbhi something we personally would want to know. What will she miss the most about Annika? Surbhi sighed before she stated, “I am living Annika, literally. I am going to miss the character, obviously. I don't know if I would be able to replicate a character like this in my next show, because the unit here has been so beautiful, be it the co-actors, directors, creatives, it has been a one pack unit. I am going to miss all of this.”
She also spoke on why she thinks Annika remains to be a relatable character. “Annika as a flawed character has been written so beautifully who fights, laughs, makes people happy, takes a stand, such variations in one character is rare. It is a relatable character because it is flawed and human. The character has become popular because of everyone's hard work.” At this, Surbhi got a little emotional thereby resonating our feelings.
We then gave Surbhi a difficult task of picking one favourite scene as Annika. To this she cried foul and then added, “There are a lot of scenes because initially we were just trying to find the right tone for the character. The scene where she throws cow dung, the show was new then and I was just trying to find my tonality on how to perform the character, then the scene where Shivaay (Nakuul Mehta) throws cheque at Annika whilst it is raining heavily, even then we were trying to understand our chemistry, how we will be comfortable with each other. The journey has been so beautiful. Even with Rosie Rani, there was no mock shoot or workshop, we just went with the flow. I have really enjoyed on this show.”
She added, “Of course, there are times when I have felt the pressure but I have thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere on sets. To keep the liveliness on sets, I am going to miss everything. I hope they miss me too, I am only worried about that (laughs)”