'My role was never meant to be negative'- Hunar Halli

The chirpy, bubbly Hunar Halli who enacts the lovable role of Mili in Zee TV's only Delhi based show 12/24 Karol Bagh speaks about her journey in the industry and the her view about the sudden negative turn in her character….

Tell us something about your background?
I have done my half schooling in Delhi and then in Melbourne, Australia .I have completed graduation in Media. I had come down to Mumbai for a vacation. I had my friend Gaurav Gupta who was working in this industry. Then I even auditioned for Balaji got selected for a serial and bound by the contract I had to stay back here and with time started getting more work.

What was your family's reaction to this?
They were naturally shocked to see me on screen, they would watch those shows and suddenly they started watching me in those shows. My parents were not expecting this. My dad was always supportive. Now they are happy, they keep giving me feedback about my scenes. I lost my father few months ago, so now there is only my younger brother and mother in the family. I have to take care of them.

What made you to do 12/24 Karol Bagh?
Basically it is a first Delhi based show, I have lived in Delhi for three years so I was happy to get a show which is completely set in Delhi. Second thing which tempted me the most is the concept, it is very nice concept, which pulled me to do this show.

You character was always meant to be negative?
No my character was never meant to be negative, I was very nervous when they informed that Mili will turn negative eventually. Initially I was not ready for this one. I was not prepared for this idea that how any girl can fall for her sister's husband. But my director and producer Sudhir Sharma convinced me somehow. They had full faith in me and told me that I will be able to do justice to this character.

So what are the kind of response are you receiving?
I was very worried about the fan's reaction, as they have been supporting me, I did not know how they will react when they will find out that my character is turning negative now. Thankfully they could differentiate between Hunar and Mili .They told that they like my performance and are feeling sad that how Mili is behaving so rudely. Recently when I went out, one girl came to me, she hugged me and told me that she likes my acting but she hates Mili.

Did you think that the show would be such a huge hit?
No it was surprising, people knew me because I have done shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki,Grihasthi and many others. I was not sure whether I should be in this profession or not .Later I got a hang of it. It is my second big show and when I was offered it I found it interesting, though I did not think that it would be so popular in such a less time.

How was the experience working with Sudhir Sharma?
He is a sweetheart, Seema too is a nice person, and they are very approachable. I always feel comfortable in their company; I can talk to them and share my issues very easily. Both of them are very down to earth, when Sudhir comes on the set with big smile we feel very positive. I get excited after watching him and feel no pressure of work at all.

Who are your best buddies on sets?
My on screen brother played by Waseem Mushtaq and my husband Akshay Dogra. Akshay and I do so much madness on the sets, but everyone says that we are good entertainers. He does so many weird things, once when I was talking to my director he sat behind me like we sit in the loo and asked me to give him water bucket, so you can imagine what sorts of pranks he plays. I too often tell everyone that I enjoy shooting with my in laws, but on screen sisters get upset to hear this. We all have a gala time on sets.

How do you spend your free time?
I love shopping and Delhi has some good stores of branded clothes so I shop like a crazy, I visit parlor and pamper myself, I go to gym for work out ,I make sure that I work out at least thrice a week. I go out with my friends and watch movies .If I am at home then I try and watch my show so that I can improvise later. I also watch movie channels and music channels .I do not like to watch any other fiction shows or reality shows that much.