Angad Hasija on Working With Sharad Kelkar and Niharika Chouksey: "Their Simplicity Makes the Experience Special"

Television actor Angad Hasija, currently seen as Yash Vardhan in Studio LSD's Tumm Se Tumm Tak, is enjoying a career milestone of sorts - his first-ever collaboration with longtime friend Sharad Kelkar. The two actors have known each other for years but had never shared a project until now.

"I've known Sharad for a long time, but we've never worked together before," Hasija said. "He's a very good friend, and we have a lot of fun on set. My scenes with him have only just begun, so we've shot just a couple of sequences together so far."

The actor also spoke fondly about co-star Niharika Chouksey, who plays Anu in the show, revealing that she brought back memories of his Bidaai days with Sara Khan. "When I saw Niharika for the first time, she reminded me of Sara. She has that same simplicity and innocence that Sara had when we worked together on Bidaai. A lot of memories came back because of that."

With nearly two decades in television, Hasija has often found himself paired with co-stars considerably younger than him - something he admits used to give him pause. "Initially, you do think about the age difference. But I've always been fortunate to work with wonderful people who never make me feel that gap. They make me feel like I'm their age," he said, adding that Chouksey has been no exception. "She's extremely sweet, simple and grounded. I never felt uncomfortable working with her."

The veteran actor didn't hold back his admiration for the new crop of directors he's been working with either, noting a marked shift in energy and efficiency on set compared to earlier in his career. "I wondered whether there would be a difference because I've worked with some of television's finest directors over the years. But my experience has been fantastic. Their energy is completely different. They come to the set fully prepared, they're very sharp, they know exactly what they want, and they finish scenes quickly."

His praise extended to his younger co-stars as well, including Ashoor from his previous show. "She's very simple and doesn't carry any unnecessary attitude. The vibe on set is really positive."

On the industry's growing fixation with social media metrics in casting decisions, Hasija pushed back against the notion that follower counts have overtaken acting chops. "People often say that casting today depends on Instagram followers, but I don't think that's entirely true. If a producer genuinely wants to make a successful show, performance is what matters first. Followers may help, but they can't replace talent."

He's confident the trend won't last. "We're living in the era of reels and social media, so naturally there's a lot of attention on followers. But I think it's just a phase. A truly good actor will never remain without work because, in the end, performance is what keeps you going."