<p>When actor Mallika Dua signed up to play Shalishka, the sassy but glamorous princess from TLC’s new show Midnight Misadventures, she knew she had to play a confident yet misinformed and graceful but unapologetic character. Well into a few episodes of the show, Mallika says, she is loving every trait of her character because it has helped her discover new facets about herself. Mallika lets Nina C George in on the show, her role and how it all began.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Could you relate to your character Shalishka on the show?</strong></p>.<p>Shalishka is everything that I am not. She livens up any environment. I am not on a talk show or interview people. I am supposed to just interact with people which I do very well.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What did you like most about Shalishka?</strong></p>.<p>She loves herself and doesn’t look beyond herself and she’s happy in her own skin. She’s ignorant and stupid yet lovable.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Was it easy to sport an exaggerated style about yourself on the show?</strong> </p>.<p>Shalishka is neatly dressed. Even if she is having a meltdown, she makes sure her makeup is in place. She loves her sweaters, broaches, bows and lipsticks.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What did the midnight conversations with the actors on the show entail?</strong></p>.<p>There was nothing emotional about the conversations. If you are eating junk, you are talking junk. I do it for a living.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What it easy to keep the real you out of your character?</strong></p>.<p>I am a shy person and usually not as crazy as my character. This is where writers come to your rescue. You know what to do on a show because you have people who write the script and make your life easy. Just before the show, I leave my state of mind behind and get into the character.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>The show involves cooking, do you cook?</strong></p>.<p>I am an average cook but my mother is a brilliant cook. I am interested in food and I like cooking but I lack the finesse.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What kind of food conversations do you have with the celebrities on your show?</strong></p>.<p>We ask them about their weird food stories, things they end up eating, their food fetishes and what they like and dislike. Food is the central focus.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How has your life changed after you started hosting the show?</strong></p>.<p>I realised that when you meet people whose work you admire from a distance, you realise that they are just as human as you are and share the same problems as you do. This changed my perspectives towards a lot of things.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How do you handle setbacks?</strong></p>.<p>My life is riddled with trolling but I have to keep going. Your ambition has to be stronger than the things that bog you down.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Your </strong><strong>advise</strong><strong> to aspiring comedians... </strong></p>.<p>Don’t copy someone else but come up with your own thing. Make sure you do your homework before a show and keep the hard work going no matter what. </p>
<p>When actor Mallika Dua signed up to play Shalishka, the sassy but glamorous princess from TLC’s new show Midnight Misadventures, she knew she had to play a confident yet misinformed and graceful but unapologetic character. Well into a few episodes of the show, Mallika says, she is loving every trait of her character because it has helped her discover new facets about herself. Mallika lets Nina C George in on the show, her role and how it all began.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Could you relate to your character Shalishka on the show?</strong></p>.<p>Shalishka is everything that I am not. She livens up any environment. I am not on a talk show or interview people. I am supposed to just interact with people which I do very well.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What did you like most about Shalishka?</strong></p>.<p>She loves herself and doesn’t look beyond herself and she’s happy in her own skin. She’s ignorant and stupid yet lovable.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Was it easy to sport an exaggerated style about yourself on the show?</strong> </p>.<p>Shalishka is neatly dressed. Even if she is having a meltdown, she makes sure her makeup is in place. She loves her sweaters, broaches, bows and lipsticks.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What did the midnight conversations with the actors on the show entail?</strong></p>.<p>There was nothing emotional about the conversations. If you are eating junk, you are talking junk. I do it for a living.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What it easy to keep the real you out of your character?</strong></p>.<p>I am a shy person and usually not as crazy as my character. This is where writers come to your rescue. You know what to do on a show because you have people who write the script and make your life easy. Just before the show, I leave my state of mind behind and get into the character.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>The show involves cooking, do you cook?</strong></p>.<p>I am an average cook but my mother is a brilliant cook. I am interested in food and I like cooking but I lack the finesse.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What kind of food conversations do you have with the celebrities on your show?</strong></p>.<p>We ask them about their weird food stories, things they end up eating, their food fetishes and what they like and dislike. Food is the central focus.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How has your life changed after you started hosting the show?</strong></p>.<p>I realised that when you meet people whose work you admire from a distance, you realise that they are just as human as you are and share the same problems as you do. This changed my perspectives towards a lot of things.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How do you handle setbacks?</strong></p>.<p>My life is riddled with trolling but I have to keep going. Your ambition has to be stronger than the things that bog you down.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Your </strong><strong>advise</strong><strong> to aspiring comedians... </strong></p>.<p>Don’t copy someone else but come up with your own thing. Make sure you do your homework before a show and keep the hard work going no matter what. </p>