It began like any other daylights on, camera rolling, actors getting into character. Aarya Babbar was preparing to shoot a deeply emotional scene where Kalikant discovers that Jagriti (played by Rachana Mistry), the woman he believed was dead, is not only alive but has returned as a powerful IPS officer. But what happened recently on set took even the most seasoned crew members by surprise. Aarya, who plays the baddie, Kalikant Thakur, pushed the boundaries of performance during a pivotal emotional scene, slapping himself not once, but fifteen times to portray the psychological collapse of his character.
The moment was scripted to be intense, but no one expected Aarya’s next move. Standing in front of a mirror, lost in Kalikant’s torment, he began slapping himself—unscripted, unplanned, and shockingly raw. Aarya later shared that in that moment, he felt the need to go beyond the written words, to bring truth and vulnerability to Kalikant’s internal breakdown. He wasn’t performing pain; he was channelling it. It was a choice born out of creative courage, one that transformed the scene from dramatic to unforgettable.
As the final take ended, the entire set broke into spontaneous applause, recognising the sheer emotional depth Aarya brought to the moment.
Aarya Babbar said, “I never intended to slap myself—not even once. But the moment I stood in front of that mirror, fully in Kalikant’s shoes, and imagined what it felt like to discover that Jagriti was not only alive but had risen above him, it hit me like a freight train. I wasn’t just acting out shame—I was drowning in it. And in that moment, the only honest response I could give was something raw, something real. Each slap was Kalikant punishing himself for the lies he had clung on to, that he was in control, and Jagriti was gone. That no one could ever outsmart him. But she did—quietly, powerfully—while he lived in denial. That kind of realisation doesn’t settle gently in your chest. It erupts. It burns.”
He added, “By the tenth slap, my face had gone numb, but I couldn’t stop—because Kalikant wouldn’t stop. That was the moment he stopped being a myth and became a man. Flawed, broken, humiliated. That scene didn’t just change Kalikant, it changed me. It reminded me that sometimes, to reach the truth, you have to be willing to hit hard enough to wake yourself up.
This powerful moment of method acting not only left the team in awe but also added a haunting intensity to Kalikant’s character arc. As the drama escalates in Jagriti – Ek Nayi Subah, will Kalikant be able to regain control, or has Jagriti’s rise finally tipped the scales?
To know more, tune in to Jagriti-Ek Nayi Subah, every day at 8:30 pm, only on Zee TV!
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