Rasika Duggal recently appeared in ‘Shekhar Holmes’, the official Indian adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’. She played the mysterious Iraboti, the Indian counterpart to Irene Adler. In an exclusive interview, Rasika discussed her approach to this iconic role and shared her experience working with Kay Kay Menon, who plays Shekhar in the JioCinema Original Series.

Rasika told IndiaToday.in, “KK always adds a lot to a scene and that makes everyone’s job easier. There is a lot to learn from such an experience, especially considering the type of work he does. When we were on set, I would always look up to both of them – KK and Ranveer (Shorey).”

She then explained how the show’s lead actors and two actors with a lot of experience helped her approach a particular scene. “I make a few mistakes before I make the right choice. But, they have so much experience that they can already see the 10th move. They can go straight there. I have to go from one to nine and then get to 10. It’s great to see that their experience translates into that kind of foresight. So that’s something interesting to learn,” she said.

Rasika also revealed how she became Iraboti. “There was a time when they had put me in a lot of scenes in a few episodes. I actually spoke to the director and producer and removed myself from a few scenes because I said ‘this character, the mystery and the desire will only exist if you don’t see her in everyday situations’. So, I actually did the opposite – I cut out scenes for myself, instead of adding them,” she said.

Talking about the mystery that Iraboti brought to the screen, Rasika said, “Iraboti had to appear very rarely, otherwise, there was no sense of mystery in her. When you know someone, it’s familiar. There’s more mystery in someone who just stands in a room and doesn’t want to talk – everyone is constantly drawn to them. There’s an aura and history about them. I thought that to maintain that aura, she shouldn’t appear too often. Iraboti should only appear when it’s really needed; only when you already miss her a little.”

The actor also highlighted the character dynamics of Shekhar and Irabotti. “There’s a playfulness between Shekhar and Irabotti, because she’s the only person in this world who can match his wit,” he said, adding, “That was written quite well in the script. The scenes between them, their back and forth, their exchanges – there was a lot of tension. There’s an element of romance as well. There’s camaraderie, there’s an understanding that, ‘Hey, you’re my equal. Come on, let’s play this game’.”

‘Shekhar Home’ is a crime drama television series Directed by Rohit Sippy and Srijit Mukherji. Produced under BBC Studios Productions, it stars Kay Kay Menon, Ranvir Shorey, Rasika Duggal, Kirti Kulhari, Kaushik Sen and Rudranil Ghosh. The series premiered on JioCinema on 14 August 2024.