Apeksha Porwal embraces language barriers with 'Slave Market': "Forming a bond despite this is real fun"

Apeksha Porwal, who is currently nailing the role of Lavani in the Middle Eastern drama "Slave Market," opens up about the language barriers she faced in a non-Hindi-based show. Apeksha shares her experience as not only fun but also a valuable learning opportunity that brought about unexpected connections, which she is grateful for. 

Speaking about the language challenges, Apeksha shared, "The language barrier was there, but I guess that’s the fun of it—to meet and work with people from different cultures and form a bond despite the language barrier." She highlighted the initial dependence on English-speaking crew members for communication, even with the director, Lassaad Oueslati. However, over time, Apeksha found ways to understand essential Arabic keywords on set. "Within a couple of weeks, I even understood keywords on set like 'action', 'cut', and ‘water’ in Arabic." 

She further elaborated, "However, there were a few moments where I misunderstood a direction, could not communicate with my Arabic co-actors, or even acted without the camera rolling, but it’s all part of the experience!" Despite the hurdles faced, Apeksha expressed gratitude for the exposure the show provided, introducing her to the vibrant Arabic audience. 

She remarked, "Having faced the difficulties, the show exposed me to a whole new set of people, the lovely Arabic audience. As an actor, I want to be able to act across borders, languages, cultures, and different stories." Dreaming of an international opportunity, Apeksha's early career success with "Slave Market" has left her feeling fortunate. "I always dreamed of doing an international show, and 'Slave Market' made that dream come true so early in my career that I have nothing but gratitude. I am truly fortunate to have had such an incredible opportunity", The actor concluded.

For those unfamiliar with the project, 'Slave Market' was produced using the collaboration of 70 actors from around the world, capturing scenes across 104 diverse locations that represent different regions of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.