Kashmira Pardesi was asked not to read the source material for The Freelancer

Neeraj Pandey's latest series, The Freelancer, is gearing up for its premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on September 1. Helmed by Bhav Dhulia, the series stars Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher and Kashmira Pardesi in lead roles. It is based on the book, A Ticket To Syria, written by Shirish Thorat.

In a recent interview, Kashmira disclosed the homework she undertook to get into the sleeve of her character, Aliya, in The Freelancer. She said to IANS, “So, the script is based on the book Ticket to Syria. But I read the book much later as I was asked not to read the book. I even personally believe that a well-written script will have everything that an actor needs.”

Further, she also revealed that she watched a lot of documentaries made on victimised families, in order to prepare for the role. "I also watched documentaries on girls that have voluntarily fled to Syria, or that have been abducted and taken there. I read about Sushmita Banerjee, a Kabuliwala’s wife and referred to a lot of Malala stories which were really very inspiring,” she shared.

Produced by Friday Storytellers, the series is a high-scale thriller. Sushant Singh, John Kokken, Gauri Balaji and Navneet Malik are also a part of the cast of The Freelancer.