Ishwak Singh: I Got Aware Of How Common Mental Illness Is While Shooting For 'Adhura'

Ishwak Singh had earlier wowed the audience with his performances in 'Paatal Lok and 'Rocket Boys'. His latest release is the supernatural thriller 'Adhura' and with this, Ishwak has explored the horror genre. The Amazon Prime Video also stars Rasika Dugal. The show is not just about jump scares or spooky moments; there is more to it. It's about how one deals with inner demons and emotions. 'Adhura' is written and directed by Ananya Banerjee and Gauravv K Chawla,

Ahead of the release of the show, Ishwak who has played Adhiraj, an anxiety-prone professor, got into a freewheeling conversation with Outlook where he opened up about 'Adhura', the awareness about mental illness he got while doing it and a lot more.

As we have mentioned before that this genre is something Ishwak is new to, he was very excited about it, the world, and the theme. He added, "The story is very interesting and it's not just about jump scares. It is a fresh take on horror and delves into a certain idea of the storytelling and they explored a certain idea which is very interesting. So, I thought something I could work with and was excited right from the start as it was the world of supernatural, horror that I have been scared of and till now haven't explored before and something I was staying away from. I got to know the rules of the supernatural, and the underworld and it's as exciting as it gets."

When asked about how the storytelling of the horror genre has changed over the years, Singh said, "I wouldn't say that that was something done which wasn't done before. I am pretty sure there were some good movies done in the past too. I know RGV (Ram Gopal Varma) did some good ones. You know what's happened is that I think I read about it and got aware of this world and there are these shows which are so good. You know even in reality so many times supernatural is confused with disturbia and disturbia is supernatural and the line between both is very thin. I think if you see there is a very thin line between the two and that's where if you trade that thin line that is where haunting occurs, you will find that confusion that is in my head or was it something I saw or it was something that is of another world. This is what I call more authentic than experimental because this is the most basic premise in which such kinds of things happen and you experience the supernatural. The writers have become very smart. They have become aware of these basics and Ananya is like she understands the world, occult and hence she is being able to talk and make a story about it which is again not in the face. You have to really sit and watch it and see it's so beautifully intertwined. The characters have been given the motivation to kind of sometimes think about what is not out there and believe that it's out there."

Ishwak also said that a character or a role always evolves a person especially when someone does such kind of complex character as he played in 'Adhura'. "I got aware of how common mental illness is as I kind of worked on the show, shooting, prepping and reading about it. We all get diagnosed with things like anxiety and all and it's just like any physical ailment. This awareness is very enriching. Through this creative process, you realise and be aware of so many things and the idea is whether you are playing an antagonist or a protagonist, you kind of take a sort of...do it from a point of view of certain awareness of what is right or what is wrong. It's enriching in that sense and makes you more aware," said the actor.