<p class="title">Shah Rukh Khan is hailed as the 'King of Romance' and the superstar stayed true his image even in his digital debut as producer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was Shah Rukh who added an emotional arc to "Bard of Blood", an adaptation of Bilal Siddiqi's espionage thriller novel of the same name, with Kirti Kulhari's Jannat Marri.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The series, a Netflix India Original, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, opened to positive reviews on Friday and Kirti's performance as Jannat has been appreciated by the critics as well as audiences.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kirti reveals Jannat, a Balochi woman with strong political background, came into being as the 53-year-old star felt the edge-of-your-seat thriller needed an "emotional centre".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Jannat is not a part of the book and I was told this in the first meeting. It was Shah Rukh Khan's idea to introduce Jannat into the story. He knew the book."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I was told he felt there was so much thrill and action in the show, but there was a need of something emotional. An emotional centre which binds everything together," Kirti told PTI in an interview.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The thriller features Emraan Hashmi as an expelled spy, Kabir Anand, who is recalled from his new life as a Shakespeare professor to save four Indian agents who are held hostage in Balochistan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On his return to Balochistan, Kabir battles the ghosts of the past, including the pain he caused Jannat, the woman he loves, while performing his duties as a spy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kirti says, even though the character had less screen time, she decided to go ahead because it challenged her as a performer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"They called me for Jannat and told me that the character is only there for a couple of episodes and I was ok with that. I got the narration and fell in love with Jannat. As an actor I should be in love with the character I'm playing and I completely fell in love with her.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is so much that she goes through and that was a real challenge for me to tell her story inside out in just two episodes. It was a lot of work. And as an artiste that's what I seek. For me simple is not fun. The character should push me hard to go deep. I was more than excited to play Jannat and I said yes to the role in the first meeting itself."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 34-year-old actor adds the fact that Jannat is not an Indian part doubled the excitement for her.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I could see myself very much as Jannat and I'm glad that it turned out the way it did."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, "Bard of Blood", also features Viineet Kumar, Sobhita Dhulipala and Jaideep Ahlawat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The seven-episode series is penned by Siddiqi and Mayank Tewari. </p>
<p class="title">Shah Rukh Khan is hailed as the 'King of Romance' and the superstar stayed true his image even in his digital debut as producer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was Shah Rukh who added an emotional arc to "Bard of Blood", an adaptation of Bilal Siddiqi's espionage thriller novel of the same name, with Kirti Kulhari's Jannat Marri.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The series, a Netflix India Original, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, opened to positive reviews on Friday and Kirti's performance as Jannat has been appreciated by the critics as well as audiences.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kirti reveals Jannat, a Balochi woman with strong political background, came into being as the 53-year-old star felt the edge-of-your-seat thriller needed an "emotional centre".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Jannat is not a part of the book and I was told this in the first meeting. It was Shah Rukh Khan's idea to introduce Jannat into the story. He knew the book."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I was told he felt there was so much thrill and action in the show, but there was a need of something emotional. An emotional centre which binds everything together," Kirti told PTI in an interview.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The thriller features Emraan Hashmi as an expelled spy, Kabir Anand, who is recalled from his new life as a Shakespeare professor to save four Indian agents who are held hostage in Balochistan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On his return to Balochistan, Kabir battles the ghosts of the past, including the pain he caused Jannat, the woman he loves, while performing his duties as a spy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kirti says, even though the character had less screen time, she decided to go ahead because it challenged her as a performer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"They called me for Jannat and told me that the character is only there for a couple of episodes and I was ok with that. I got the narration and fell in love with Jannat. As an actor I should be in love with the character I'm playing and I completely fell in love with her.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is so much that she goes through and that was a real challenge for me to tell her story inside out in just two episodes. It was a lot of work. And as an artiste that's what I seek. For me simple is not fun. The character should push me hard to go deep. I was more than excited to play Jannat and I said yes to the role in the first meeting itself."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 34-year-old actor adds the fact that Jannat is not an Indian part doubled the excitement for her.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I could see myself very much as Jannat and I'm glad that it turned out the way it did."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, "Bard of Blood", also features Viineet Kumar, Sobhita Dhulipala and Jaideep Ahlawat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The seven-episode series is penned by Siddiqi and Mayank Tewari. </p>