Mumbai, March 7 (IANS) Actor Nandish Singh, who gained widespread recognition for his role in the popular show ‘Uttaran,’ has revealed that he initially found it difficult to communicate with women.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Nandish opened up about his unique experience working on the set of “Ziddi Girls,” which features a predominantly female cast. He revealed that while it was initially intimidating to work alongside so many strong, independent women, it ultimately became a rewarding experience for him. Singh shared, “Initially, it was a bit intimidating because the show had a significant number of female actors. When I first heard that all the students at Siddhi Girls College would be female, and that 90% of the professors would also be women, leaving PD as the only strong male character, I didn’t think much of it.

“I assumed it would be like any other project—meeting everyone, getting comfortable in a couple of days, and then starting the shoot. However, when I arrived on set, it felt different. The directors, Neha and Vasant, were women. The cast was predominantly female, as were many members of the production team,” the actor added.

Singh went on to state, “Coming from a boys' school and a military background, this was a stark contrast to my earlier experiences. When I first moved to Mumbai, I even found it difficult to have conversations with women because I wasn’t used to interacting with them regularly. But looking back, I feel proud. I’ve come a long way—from a small-town military school to a set where I was surrounded by talented female actors. It was an unusual yet rewarding experience.”

Speaking about playing Professor Dhar in the show, the 'Super 30' actor stated, "I always try not to replicate what has been done before. Instead, I draw inspiration from real life. For PD, my primary reference was my English teacher, Atul sir. He had several characteristics similar to PD. Another inspiration was my college professor, Shef Iyer. These two figures laid the foundation for my portrayal of PD.”

“Ziddi Girls,” directed by Shonali Bose, the series also features Atiya Tara Nayak, Umang Bhadana, Zaina Ali, Deeya Damini, Anupriya Caroli, Simran, Nandita Das, Nandish Singh Sandhu, Lillete Dubey, and Revathy.

Set in a Delhi college named Matilda House, the show was released on February 27 on Amazon Prime Video.

--IANS

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