Mumbai: Seema Azmi’s association with Ishika Shahi’s The Lift came about after an initial hesitation, but what began with a refusal eventually turned into an exciting acting opportunity for the actress. Seema plays Surekha in the series, which is presented by Directors Kut Production on its YouTube channel.
Recalling how she came on board, Seema says, “I consider myself very fortunate that I got the opportunity to do my first work with this production.”
The actress reveals that she had known Rajan Shahi for several years but was not familiar with Ishika Shahi before being approached for the project. In fact, when she first received the call from the casting team, she immediately declined the role.
“I had said no because I did not want to do this kind of role. When the casting director called me, I was not in Bombay and I said, ‘I don’t want to do it,’” she recalls.
However, the casting director encouraged her to hear the narration before making a final decision. That eventually led Seema to meet Ishika and the team.
“When I went there, I met Ishika for the first time and I met sir. I really liked it,” Seema shares.
The actress was particularly impressed when she visited the production office and saw the numerous awards associated with the production house. “I had never seen so many awards in one room before. I knew about some of the shows, that they were very successful shows, but I did not know about so many of them,” she says.
What further impressed Seema was Ishika’s approach while narrating the story. “Ishika narrated the story to me with so much energy and so much enthusiasm. When I heard the story, I said, ‘This is such a different concept. This is really interesting,’” she recalls.
Interestingly, Seema also reveals that she did not initially know that Ishika was Rajan Shahi’s daughter. She says Ishika interacted with her very naturally and explained the importance of the character without making the conversation about her family background.
For Seema, the experience ultimately became about the work and the character. “When I heard the story, I realised that this character has so much to perform. I said, ‘I will definitely do this,’” she says.
Now, as Surekha in The Lift, Seema is excited for audiences to discover the layers of the story for themselves. She also urges viewers to watch the series on the Directors Kut YouTube channel, share it with their friends and family, and revisit the episodes to understand the characters and their journeys better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=RtToJsBhYBatUrym&v=mOuYNSdhjHA&feature=youtu.be
