Yaar Avan is a fashion-world oriented series that aired on Astro Vinmeen HD (CH 231), throughout October.

Astro recently caught up with the series' director Perakas Rajaram, and cast members Surrya Prakash, Moon Nila, Irfan Zaini and Krithigah to get "behind the screen."

Director: Perakas Rajaram

Please share what this series is about and your inspiration behind it?

I was introduced to the script and accepted it without any hesitation as it was my first time directing a fashion-based story. It was very interesting to read the script with multiple genres and that inspired me to direct this series.

As an experienced director, what was your experience like directing this show?

It was indeed a new experience directing a fashion-based drama series. It was great working with inspiring young actors and it was a memorable experience. This drama series is different from others in terms of story, quality and more. The story revolves around a dead person who was given a second chance to discover the truth behind his death.

What are some of your hopes for this series?

I hope viewers would enjoy watching this series and I thank Astro for providing us with this golden opportunity.

Cast: Surrya Prakash, Moon Nila, Irfan Zaini & Krithigah

Please tell us about the role you play in Yaar Avan?

Surrya: I played both ‘Amar’ and ‘Nandha’ in Yaar Avan. Amar is a talented and unique fashion designer while Nandha is a naive and timid person. As such, it was very challenging to me to showcase the differences in both the roles. Thanks to Reach Production and Astro for the great opportunity.

Moon Nila: I played ‘Maya’ in Yaar Avan, a bold, beautiful and intelligent model. Maya doesn’t compromise her dignity although she has a lot of dreams to achieve. She also does not tolerate indecency. Eventually she falls in love with Amar and helps him unveil the truth while under pressure.

Irfan: My character was known as ‘Sanjay’, a diva. He always wants to win and he can’t accept when anyone goes against him. He will go to any extent to destroy them.

Krithigah: I played ‘Tanuja’, a top model with a bold and friendly character. She has a distinct hair colour and fashion sense and Amar is her close friend.

Can you share your most memorable moments from working on this show?

Surrya: My most memorable moment was wearing dark makeup as ‘Nandha’ until the crew could not recognize me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the makeup artist from Shana’s Bridal for the remarkable work. As I don’t have modeling experience, I had to go for some training over a few weeks to pick it up. I also met a few actual fashion designers to understand how they think and react.

Moon Nila: I had a great experience working with the senior director Mr. Perakas and working with the entire team which was so much fun. Back-to-back shoots slightly affected my health but I was always surrounded by good souls who cheered me up. I can’t forget the moment where everyone started to address me as ‘Maya’ because they simply forgot my name. I cherish every moment from this shoot.

I’ve never worked in the modeling industry before and it was a great challenge to me. I did a lot of ‘homework’ including watching fashion-based movies and participating in trainings to learn the walking styles, attitude and other matters from ARP Modeling agency. While it was tough in the beginning, I managed to catch up on the body language.

Irfan: There were alot of memorable moments for me. One of the unforgettable ones was the scene where I was supposed to be physically rough with a co-star. I have never been in a similar situation before and ended being too rough. This helped me learn how to express this form of acting better in the future.

Additionally, while I have done modeling previously, but it was not as a professional model. The experience I had in Yaar Avan was totally different as it involved modelling and acting at the same time, which was sometimes challenging.

Krithigah: With the unique fashion angle, I had three catwalks to perform and each had its own story. I worked with local fashion designer, Madam Sanmugaselvi from Desiglam and it was good experience to get into try a variety of fashionable clothes for these catwalks, which also required me to showcase different personalities.

As I was the champion of a beauty pageant previously, it helped me get the basic catwalk right. However, beauty pageant and modelling are two different things. So, to keep up with the attitude along with the acting skills was challenging. Nonetheless, I took up the challenge and I gave my best.

What are some of your hopes for this series?

Surrya: I hope that this series will reach many people and touch them, especially with its unique and engaging script.

Moon Nila: I hope viewers like my role as I believe acting can influence people. I also hope those who want to be a part of modeling industry will find this series helpful. I hope girls uphold their self-dignity despite trying to achieve their dreams. I hope there will be more seasons for this series.

Irfan: I hope this would put shine some light on the problems within this industry and that some may be able to correct themselves. I also hope those outside the fashion industry will not judge it as outrightly negative.

Krithigah: The local fashion industry is a relatively new topic to feature and I hope this introduces viewers to some parts of it. Thank you to all fans for the continuous support. For those who haven’t watched, you can watch it via Astro GO app and stream anytime on demand. Don’t forget to catch Yaar Avan as there is an interesting twist at the end!

Stream Yaar Avan now on demand and on Astro GO.