Waluscha De Sousa will soon be seen in the web series Tanaav. She essays the role of a Kashmiri Muslim named Zainaab in it. The show, which will premiere on SonyLIV on November 11, is an adaptation of the international series Fauda. The Free Press Journal caught up with the actress for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
Did you watch Fauda before the remake was offered to you?
Yes, I saw Fauda before and I loved it. I completely fell in love with all the characters of the show. However, I wasn’t fortunate enough to get a direct call to be a part of the show. I was aware that its Indian adaptation was being made and I approached the makers. For me, I didn’t care which character I will play in the remake. Sudhir Mishra sir (director) and Sameer Nair sir (producer) locked me.
Was it a conscious decision to do Tanaav to break your glam image?
As actors, we are quite fortunate to do a variety of roles on OTT and also directors can think out-of-the-box. Producers and platforms are putting so much money to bring out something new. Doing Tanaav was also a very conscious decision since I wanted to play a completely deglam Kashmiri Muslim girl.
What were your apprehensions to play the role in an adaptation like this?
As an actor, I don’t think I had any apprehensions. I am told that I am a director’s actor. However, I do bring a little bit of me in every character that I play but largely I listen carefully to my director.
Are you scared of obvious comparisons with Fauda?
I do believe that great stories transcend borders which is why so many of us watched Fauda and loved it. I do feel that there’s a big audience to watch Tanaav. I feel Tanaav will probably do better than Fauda.
From Escaype Live to Crackdown and now Tanaav, what is that one thing that pushes you to choose varied roles?
I think, I have been fortunate enough to get roles like in Crackdown and Tanaav those are all different from each other. When Crackdown was offered to me, I was told that it’s a negative character and I jumped on the opportunity since I wanted to surprise the audience. It totally paid off, we have just wrapped up its season 2. I even got a good response for Escaype Live.
