Harshita Shekhar Gaur and Aakash Dahiya talk about their series Agra Affair on Amazon MX Player

Mirzapur fame actress Harshita Shekhar Gaur and Delhi Crime fame actor Aakash Dahiya star together in the web series Agra Affair produced by Dice Media and streaming on Amazon MX Player. The duo talked to us about the series, their roles, and more.

What made you say yes to Agra Affair streaming on Amazon MX Player?

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: It’s a sweet love story told differently. The girl here had more masculine energy, and the guy had more feminine energy—the things we embrace less, at times. It is a slice-of-life, easy-breezy story. Also, Dice Media was making it. So, that’s what made me say yes to Agra Affair.

Aakash Dahiya: The relationships in our lives – whether it’s with our family, friends, or lovers – fall apart before coming together again. When I read the story of Agra Affair, I noticed some lovely moments in these relationships. Something like this happens in our lives and it was relatable. So, I said yes.

What do you like about the character you play?

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: I like that Tanvi is a woman with masculine energy wanting to do something and take care of the family. She’s so conflicted that she sees a broken relationship at home and she’s so clear of not wanting one. And then falling in love with the same guy because she sees another woman [in his life]. Sometimes, you don’t value things as much when they’re around you. But the moment you see someone going away, you realize that person’s worth. It was interesting for me to play that feeling on screen.

Aakash Dahiya: I liked the conflict of Aakash. He is sandwiched between running his family’s hotel business and following his passion for cooking. He’s unsure whether the girl he likes likes him back or not. I liked the way every emotion of love was explored.

Do you remember your first day of shooting on the show? And with each other? Please share some anecdotes.

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: As far as I remember, my first day of shooting with Aakash was easy. All the actors have their agreements and disagreements but we landed on the same page almost every time.

Aakash Dahiya: My first day of shoot was with the family. When I was shooting the Alishaan Hotel scenes with Harshita, I started experiencing the pain of a wisdom tooth. The pain was severe. I shot for a week, taking medicines. Aakash, the character was also going through pain of his own. I was experiencing both. I will never forget that in my life.

Describe each other as co-actors in one sentence.

Aakash Dahiya: Alishaan.

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: Aakash is a sweet, simple guy. We were not friends before the show. I’ve known him only as a co-actor. He’s helpful. It’s just an easy chemistry with him.

What is your favourite scene in the show and why?

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: My favourite scene in the show is at the end when Tanvi realises that she has fallen for Aakash and comes back to tell him that. Something surreal happened between us while shooting that scene and we connected. It may or may not be captured on camera. Or maybe the audience doesn’t feel it that way. Only the actors who perform that scene understand it.

Aakash Dahiya: The last scene was a single-take scene. We got so involved in the scene that we were crying for real. After the take was over, there was a pin-drop silence on the set. We saw that our showrunner and crew were in tears. It happens rarely in an actor’s life.

You shot for the show in the scorching heat of Agra. Please share some anecdotes.

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: Apart from the scenes where we were absolutely in the sun, it wasn’t really much of a problem. What actors go through during shooting is part of our jobs. We kept ourselves happy with the Agra food.

Aakash Dahiya: The heat was difficult to bear but we had to shoot. The makeup team had a tough time. But when you look at the beauty of The Taj Mahal, you forget everything. Overall, I had fun shooting there. Hopefully, I will be shooting for my next film too in Agra.

What have your most successful shows done for you as actors? Mirzapur for Harshita and Delhi Crime for Aakash.

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: A successful show always helps you as an actor because people who can give you work have seen it. It’s always good to be in the eye. I think work gets you more work. Mirzapur hasn’t been good to me only on the work front but also on the personal front because the bestest friends I have made are from that show. I lucked out in the case of Mirzapur.

Aakash Dahiya: It was altogether a different experience playing Devender in Delhi Crime. From how creator Richie Mehta narrated the role to me to acting with Rasika Dugal was an amazing feeling. We have finished filming the third season. Hopefully, you’ll get to see that by the end of this year.

What are your upcoming projects?

Harshita Shekhar Gaur: One more project will hopefully be released this year but I can’t talk about it. There are a couple of other projects as well but it’s good to talk about them when the makers have put it out.

Aakash Dahiya: I am excited about Chote Yadav, a web series that will be streaming on Amazon MX Player in February. We have made a short film titled The Last Meal. It is based on the last day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh ji’s life. It will be sent to film festivals. I have played the role of Shaheed Bhagat Singh ji in it. It will remain my favourite work of mine. There’s another series titled Dhanbad that will come out by the end of this year. I recently signed a big project but I can’t reveal anything about it right now.