Shirley Setia is all praise for Nikamma co-star Abhimanyu Dassani

Singer Shirley Setia made her acting debut in 2020 on OTT with the Netflix original Maska (2020) and will now be seen on the big screen in Nikamma (2022) opposite Abhimanyu Dassani.

This is only Dassani’s second film to be released in theatres after his debut project Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (2019). His second film, Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021), was released directly on Netflix.

However, the young actor had worked as an assistant director on many films before making his acting debut and so was exposed to cinema and made sure to pass on his knowledge to co-star Setia.

The singer-turned-actress said, “Being more experienced in films than me, Abhimanyu helped me a lot on set with the technicality of the camera and gave me tips on when to face camera, adjust with the light; these little tips and tricks from him were useful.

“As he had worked as an AD on multiple films, he has significant insights on the technicalities which can be seen in his performances as well. He was very kind and caring throughout the process of filming Nikamma.”

Interestingly, Setia took inspiration for her character from Kareena Kapoor Khan’s character Geet, in Jab We Met (2007). “I watched Jab We Met as I took a lot of inspiration from Geet as that character has that spunk and bubbliness that was required in my character too,” she said.

Nikamma, which is the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit Middle Class Abbayi (2017), will be released in theatres on 17 June. The film also stars Shilpa Shetty Kundra.