Niki Aneja Says She Was Mentally Tortured During Debut Film Shoot, Slams Producer Pahlaj Nihalani For Asking Her To 'Compromise'

Actress Niki Aneja Walia, best known for her popular shows like Astitva... Ek Prem Kahani, Sea Hawks, Ghar Ek Sapna and more, made her acting debut in 1994 with Anil Kapoor's Mr Azaad. In one of her recent interviews, Niki shared her bitter experience of being a part of the film and slammed producer Pahlaj Nihalani for asking her to 'compromise'.

During an explosive interaction with Siddharth Kanan, Niki revealed Pahlaj asked to have dinners with the distributors while they were shooting for the film in Ooty. The 52-year-old actress also stated that her experience on the sets of Mr Azaad scarred her and that she was mentally tortured during the shoot.

"I felt very uncomfortable. I wasn't treated nicely during Azaad. Newcomer aside, I realised there is more to acting than what people said. Ye jo casting couch hai, 'Compromise kar lo kya problem hai... aapki journey jaldi ho jayegi...' when people talk about these things around you, I don't resonate with them. I want to wake up and respect who I see in the mirror. Whatever I learnt technically during that shoot is my wealth but what I learnt on the outside of shoot, during rehearsals and promotions, I understood that all these things I can't do. I was only 19 at that time," Niki said.

However, the actress said that being honest and bold backfired her as she wasn't respected on the sets.

She further mentioned, "I actually went and told Pahlaj ji why do you take me for these dinners... And he told me 'Picture nahi bechni hai kya?' I remember asking just one thing to him, 'Anil Kapoor ko sign kar ke aap picture nahi bech sakte kya?' From that day, I became infamous on the sets. It was not pleasant for me. It was then I decided I will not do films after Yes Boss, because I had signed the film by then. But Shah Rukh Khan was the opposite and Ratan ji's set was very different."

"There also came a time when I used to go for shoot and I used to not get direction. 'Aap kar lo na, aap toh film bech logi' is what people told me because I had the guts to step up and talk to Pahlaj ji and tell him that I don't need to do all this. And I haven't. Never compromised, never will. I have zero regrets," Niki added.

Niki is celebrated for her versatility in television and films. She gained immense fame as Dr. Simran in Astitva…Ek Prem Kahani, a TV show that addressed bold themes. Starting her career in the early 1990s, Niki appeared in popular shows and later transitioned to films and web series, balancing her career between India and the UK.