I love partying and going for long drives, says Megha Chakraborty

Megha Chakraborty says that it was her talkative nature that helped break the ice with her Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par co-star, Ashish Kadian. Being the quieter one, it helped that Ashish is a good listener. After months of working together, the duo now gets along like a house on fire, with a fabulous chemistry to show for it. We talk to the pair about their on-screen adorableness. Edited excerpts:

You first met in a flight, and Megha troubled you. Right?
Megha: I didn’t trouble him much, but he was bugged with my endless talks. I still remember the day clearly; we were travelling to Lucknow for a shoot. During the entire duration, he was quiet and I was the one talking away. Poor guy, he must be wanting me to shut my mouth! [Laughs]
Ashish: Yes, Megha started talking to me first, and she just wouldn’t stop. I was irritated initially, but later I got used to her banter. I’m a good listener hence we could bond well.

Given the high expectations from your show, were you nervous when it went on air?
Megha: Actually, this isn’t my first show. I’ve done Badi Devrani, and a couple of Bengali ones. But, of course, I was very nervous and excited when it went on air.
Ashish: To be honest, I wasn’t nervous. It was kind of emotional for me.

Megha, how was it to work with an introverted co-star?
Megha: It’s actually fun. I keep talking, and Ashish keeps listening, which is nice. But I think I’ve made him a little extroverted.
Ashish: Yes, I keep listening to her, but now I’m gradually opening up and taking efforts to talk more. [Smiles]

You guys are apparently painting the town red post shoots…
Megha: We do hang out a lot after shoots. I love partying and going for long drives. We have a cool group, but Ashish is reluctant about going for parties. So I always have to push him to join us.
Ashish: We hang out with our co-stars and enjoy a lot whenever we get time off from shoots.

One tends to get attracted to people they spend time with. Do you guys feel the same?
Megha: Nothing of the sort; we’re very good buddies. No attraction has happened, yet.
Ashish: We’re good friends. Nothing more.

Considering Ashish is way taller, romancing him must be quite the task, Megha?
Megha: Yes, it was kind of tough initially. I felt like I was hugging my dad in some scenes, because of his height!
Ashish: It wasn’t an issue for me, but I found romancing an issue, since I didn’t know how to. I kept giving blank expressions, but now I’m okay with the scenes.

Your chemistry is being appreciated. You must be relieved.
Megha: I’m glad it’s being liked and appreciated. I would say our off-screen friendship and bonding helped us emote better on-screen.
Ashish: It’s quite encouraging to know viewers like our chemistry. Yes, our friendship helped, but a lot of practice and hard work helped us enhance it.

How often do you guys fight and what’s the trigger?
Megha: We do fight sometimes. I think most times I get angry with him because he’s not punctual. I don’t like to wait for someone for no reason and he always makes me wait whether we are going for a party or a movie or anything else. He is very lazy.
Ashish: No, we usually don’t fight but when we do it’s because of me being late.

Any special incident from the shoots you’d like to share with us?
Megha: One incident that comes to my mind is when I was giving a shot with my personal cell phone. I had to be very angry and throw it, so I intentionally chucked it on the bed. However, my phone bounced onto the floor and I started jumping and screaming thinking I damaged it. The director had to cut the scene and everyone started laughing.
Ashish: We were shooting this scene of me rehearsing my lines in front of a mirror. Since it was to be a montage with background music, there were no real lines and I started imitating the director. Everyone laughed out loud after he said cut.

Who’s the better co-star amongst you?
Megha: It has to be me, hands down! [Laughs]
Ashish: It’s Megha, undoubtedly. She’s the experienced one and overall is a good actor, be it remembering lines, executing or improvising them.

How many times do you wish you could redo a scene?
Megha: All the time! I always feel I could’ve done better. In fact, I watch all episodes just to analyse my performance.
Ashish: In fact, for me, it’s 70 per cent of the scenes.

Rapid Fire
Your favourite corner on the sets:
Megha: The huge window seat of my room.
Ashish: Any tree on the sets.

Favourite food on the sets:
Megha: Chocolates
Ashish: Black tea.

Your 2 am buddy:
Megha: Ashish.
Ashish: Megha.

Things you cannot do without on the sets:
Megha: Listening to music.
Ashish: Reading books.

Your favourite line on the sets:
Megha: Chup raho na yaar!
Ashish: Ab kaunsa scene hai?

Your stress buster:
Megha: Music.
Ashish: Meditation.

Your dream date:
Megha: Shah Rukh Khan.
Ashish: Jennifer Lawrence.

Your first crush:
Megha: SRK!
Ashish: My KG teacher.