Actress Ayesha Raza Mishra, who plays Amrita, Jai’s mother, in Netflix’s recently released family drama Meethe Mein Kya Hai, had an interesting and refreshing experience working on the film. During an interaction with us, Ayesha opened up about how director Radhika Bansal challenged her usual acting approach and encouraged her to explore a different side of her character. What she initially expected to be a familiar acting assignment turned into a creative journey that pushed her beyond her comfort zone.
When asked how different the experience was for her, Ayesha described it as a lot of fun, while admitting that the process did not unfold the way she had anticipated. She explained how actors often develop familiar techniques or tropes to portray emotions such as anger, sadness and happiness. Over time, these methods can become comfortable patterns, making it easy to fall back on familiar reactions. Ayesha initially approached Amrita with the same mindset, believing she could rely on her existing understanding of performance. However, Radhika had a very different vision for the character.
Sharing her experience, Ayesha said, “It was a fun experience—really fun! It didn’t unfold the way I had anticipated, which is fantastic. I truly enjoyed it. As an actor, you often rely on a set of familiar techniques—what we call 'tropes'—like specific ways to express anger or sadness, or standard reactions for certain scenes. You tend to fall into a comfortable, almost lazy, routine, thinking, "I’ve got this; I know how to handle it." I went in with that same mindset, assuming I’d just lean on what I already knew. But then she came along and flipped everything on its head, saying, "That’s not what I want at all—Amrita wouldn’t react that way." I realized I had to listen to her.”
“She was so clear about her vision, and she really pushed me to fully inhabit the character—a level of depth I might not have even bothered to explore on my own. Why would I put in that much extra effort, right? But she insisted: "Amrita wouldn’t react like this—maybe Ayesha would, but Amrita wouldn’t." For the first few days, I fought it—I really resisted! Eventually, I had to tell myself, "Just let go. Let it happen. Let her guide you." It felt magical. On the surface, it might not seem all that different, but internally, so much shifted. I saw one of my reactions in the trailer—usually, I’d just be happy, but this time, I looked at it and thought, "Oh, I see—I can actually see my director in that reaction." As Ayesha, I might have played it differently—perhaps with more flourish—but this was so controlled; I knew it was Radhika who had led me to that moment. So, I really enjoyed it” added Ayesha.
Ayesha further explained that Radhika's insistence on understanding Amrita as an individual helped her move away from her natural instincts and discover the character's emotional responses. The actress admitted that she initially resisted the director's suggestions, but eventually decided to trust her vision and allow herself to be guided. The experience also made her recognise how much a director can influence an actor's performance, sometimes bringing out nuances that the actor might not have explored independently.
Meethe Mein Kya Hai revolves around a Diwali family reunion at Nani's home in Lucknow. The story follows Jai, an architect who is still grieving the loss of his wife Tara, two years after her death. Although initially reluctant to attend the family gathering, Jai finds himself drawn into an unexpected situation when his sister Sana reveals that she has secretly married Karam. She asks Jai to help break the news to the family during the festive gathering, setting the stage for emotional moments, unexpected reactions and complicated family dynamics.
Written and directed by Radhika Bansal, the film features Rohini Hattangadi, Ayesha Raza Mishra and Ritwik Bhowmik, among others, with music composed by Amit Trivedi. Produced by Ajit Mohan and Siddharth Swarup, Meethe Mein Kya Hai premiered on Netflix on October 30, 2026. For Ayesha, the film has been a particularly rewarding experience, allowing her to step away from familiar acting patterns and discover a more controlled and nuanced portrayal of Amrita under Radhika's direction.