Her name’s Nausheen but she’s better known as Kusum with a double K, thanks to Ekta Kapoor’s daily soap KKusum telecast on Sony. Nausheen Sardar Ali, that’s her full name, is portraying the title role of Kkusum. The soap which traces the happenings in Kkusum’s life is gaining popularity day by day and recently, it achieved an all time high TRP of 8.9, as per the latest TAM reports. Little wonder then that Nausheen feels on top of the world. "In Persian, Nausheen means ‘The first snowfall’. I am more like it because almost everybody loves the first snowfall. I am so happy that audiences have loved me for essaying the goodness in a woman. Kkusum’s character is so beautiful that almost everybody loves her and can relate to her."

Born to an Iranian mother and Punjabi father, Nausheen wanted to be a doctor but as she entered her teens, her ambition changed drastically. She recalls, "I wanted to become a commercial artist because I am very good at painting and sketching. It was one of my school plays that really changed my life. When I was in class tenth, I acted in a thriller. At the end of the play, the thunderous applause gave me a high. It’s then that I decided that I would love to act." Having been brought up in a broadminded Muslim family, her parents were very supportive right from the word go. A Commerce graduate, Nausheen was attracted to theatre. When she was just seventeen, she bagged the prestigious ad of Close-up after having had a tough competition from almost 500 odd girls. Since then, she has come a long way to play one of the favourite characters on the tube, that of Kkusum.

This attractive actress has also done many commercials like Clinic Shampoo, Onida TV, Nima Gold soap, Kodak Gold and ICICI. "I did the ICICI hoping I would get a chance to do commercials with Amitabh Bachchan because he’s the brand ambassador but I was disappointed," she says sounding like a school kid who didn’t get her lollipop. Very much like the character she portrays on screen, Nausheen in real life too is a very homely girl, well mannered and always smiling. "I like the good things in life. I am content playing one major role rather than shifting from one location to another," she says wisely. However, she confesses, "I would like to earn lots of money but not by working like a machine. For me creative satisfaction is more important."

But Kkusum is not her first serial as most of us think. This long-legged beauty bagged her first TV assignment in Saturday Suspense, followed by X-Zone and Star Best Seller. Once on screen, various channels noticed Nausheen’s beautiful face. She went onto anchor a popular TV show Chit-Chat on ETC. She gives a lot of the credit to the show because "anchoring taught me to learn my lines by-heart and gave me confidence to be spontaneous. "After Chit-Chat, Nausheen featured in Altaf Raja’s music video ‘Pahle to kabhi kabhi gham tha...’. About Kkusum Nausheen tells us, "One day I received a call from Ekta and I went to audition for the role of Kkusum. I was okayed in the first take. Even Ekta was surprised to see my confidence in delivering a long dialogue without faltering. She was searching all over the country for a girl and I am so glad that I bagged the title role. It was then that I realised that anchoring surely helps an actor to be spontaneous."

But all the adulation Nausheen’s receiving for her role is making her a tad uncomfortable. Shy by nature, she confesses, "I am a very private person and honestly it’s very difficult to respond to all the starry reaction from my fans. Slowly, I am trying to cope up with the situation." When the team of Kkusum was on a promotional tour, visiting places in Ahmedabad, she reminisces, "I was not only surprised but shocked when people showered rose petals to welcome us. It was crazy I tell you but then I realised what stardom is all about. I enjoyed playing with the children in Gujarat and had a great time with them. The villagers too, realised that we stars are so humane." She adds, "Even though I hate to lose my privacy I really love the affection of my fans. I know it’s strange but then life’s like that."

Though a Muslim by birth her portrayal of a Hindu girl is so perfect that one can easily mistake her to be a Hindu. She’s quick to explain, "I am a spiritual person. All the religions teach the same thing and that’s to be good to one and all and worship God with true devotion. It’s my upbringing that makes me essay the role easily." What are her shortcomings? She candidly admits to being short tempered. "It’s very difficult for me to forgive and forget a person. I have a flexible and transparent face, so it shows on my face." What’s her plus point then? She just smiles. That’s it! Her smile is her strongest point. Her desire is to be remembered as a performer rather than a glamour doll. Is it no to films then? Without blinking, Nausheen says, "I would love to do a movie which is made like the ones produced by Rajshris. A film with a beautiful story narrated in a simple and clean manner. I am open to movies but I would rather wait for good cinema rather than do films just for the heck of doing it."

Nausheen has been in the industry since 1997. In five years, she has acted in almost 10 serials so far. So where does she see herself after five years? She looks up to the sky and concludes, "By God’s grace, I would like to own a production house." Aiming high. Isn’t she? But the way she’s going about her work it should happen soon, we think.

—Johnny D