Ishitta Arun Shares 1st Impression of Hansal Mehta On Sets of Scoop: 'He’s Extremely...' | Exclusive

Actress Ishitta Arun, daughter of renowned singer Ila Arun, is ready to impress the audience yet again. Having seen her in Rana Naidu earlier this year, sharing the screen with Venkatesh Daggubati and Rana Daggubati, the actress will now be seen in National Award-winning director Hansal Mehta’s upcoming series, ‘Scoop’. Ishitta will portray the character of Nelly, the wife of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s journalist character. In an exclusive conversation with News18, the actress delves into her role and shares her excitement.

Can you tell us about your character in Scoop and what drew you to this role?

I play Nelly who is married to Imran (played by Zeeshan Ayyub). She is an educator and ex journo who has a stable marriage and has an equal footing with her husband. Some would say that she is, in many ways, his moral compass. The subject, the superb script (off the page) and the man helming the project – it’s a no Brainer for any actor! One HAS to be a part of such a project. I was fortunate.

What was your experience like working with the cast and crew of Scoop?

The cast and crew of Scoop was like an extension of my theatre family. There many fellow second generation theatre actors that I had a chance to rub shoulders with and there was also similar camaraderie and enthusiasm as there is in theatre productions.

Were there any challenges you faced while portraying your character?

Nelly is a strong woman who is quiet confident about herself. In terms of the role itself it’s not a huge one. So, I had that much screen time and space to convey that in its fullest. That was the challenge.

Can you share any memorable or behind-the-scenes moments from the filming of Scoop?

I landed on set without any prior meeting or reading with the cast and crew. I, of course, had heard a lot about Hansal sir from my mother but I was meeting him for the first time in the capacity of an actor minutes before the scene. He’s extremely knowledgeable and doesn’t like to over direct actors. He just asked me to hop right in and shoot. In the first take I thought I made a mistake and all he said was not to stop and do what comes naturally to me. Very soon I became familiar with his style.

As an actor, what aspects of the script or story resonated with you personally?

The story is but of course a riveting one. Jigna’s story will be remembered for years to come. The script however is the true star! I couldn’t put it down once I started reading and if it was so gripping just off the page one can only imagine what the master director Hansal sir would do with it on a larger canvas.

Do you have any upcoming projects or roles that you’re excited about and would like to share with us?

Work has picked since Rana and I am currently reviewing a few offers that are interesting. Another project is slated to go on the floor post-September. I am also writing 8 songs and the dialogues for a large-scale musical production opening in Japan. I have never felt this ready and am looking forward to doing more work as an actor in the near future.

Scoop, an upcoming series inspired by journalist Jigna Vora’s book Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, will start streaming on June 2 on Netflix.