"Shahana gave me the safe space to explore that.......": Akshay Singh on 'Four Years Later'

In an exclusive conversation with India Forums, actor Akshay Ajit Singh opened up about stepping into the shoes of Yash in Four Years Later, a heartfelt Australian-Indian drama that premiered on SBS and SBS On Demand in October 2024 and is currently streaming on Lionsgate Play. The eight-part series, created by Mithila Gupta, revolves around a young couple from Jaipur whose arranged marriage takes an unexpected turn when one of them moves to Australia for a medical traineeship, leaving love suspended across continents and time.

Starring alongside Shahana Goswami, Kate Box, and Luke Arnold, Akshay portrays Yash, a character caught between duty, dreams, and emotional distance. While the story explores long-distance love, Akshay reveals that it also dives into much more.

When asked how playing Yash affected him and what the role taught him about relationships, Akshay shared a deeply personal reflection:

'It’s heartbreaking, you know? Long-distance… it’s never easy. The yearning to be with your partner is always there; it’s felt on both sides. But what really drew me to Yash wasn’t just the physical distance in his relationship; it was his emotional distance. He was so absent emotionally, so closed off. And that’s a hard space to live in for him and for the one who loves him.'

He added, 'When I started moulding into Yash, I realised he had so much in common with parts of myself I hadn’t really faced. Like, how hard it can be for men to be well, to just feel openly. Shahana and the team gave me this incredibly safe space to explore that. And in doing so, I found myself unlocking little boxes I’d tucked away in the corners of my mind. I’m saying this for the first time, but through Yash, I rediscovered forgotten pieces of me.'

He also said, 'One thing I learned, deeply, is that as men, we need to stop running from our emotions. Suppressing them doesn’t make us stronger; it just finds other ways to leak out. Real strength, I think, lies in honest, authentic self-expression. That’s what Yash taught me. And that’s what long-distance revealed, it’s not just about the miles between two people, but the silence we carry within.'

Four Years Later is more than a romantic drama; it’s a story about growth, choices, and emotional vulnerability. And for Akshay, it became a transformative experience both on and off screen.