Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS): Iram Badar Khan, who participated in the reality show 'Roadies Xtreme', is now seen in web series 'Shiksha Mandal', playing the role of a 16-year-old girl Vidya Rai.

The 29-year-old actress revealed the challenges of portraying a character much younger than her age and how she looks at her OTT debut project.

Iram said: "I always wanted to make my digital debut very real and raw. Playing Vidya allowed me to do just that. The rawness of a teenage girl going through something difficult, its non-flashy portrayal, and the director's vision of making Vidya just exist really captured her true self."

"I think as a debutante, I'd give most of the credit to the director for helping me perform this emotionally challenging role while still helping me maintain my uniqueness as an actor."

Director of the series, Syed Ahmad Afzal said that it was not easy to choose an actor who can play Vidya perfectly on-screen and the selection process was quite time-taking and challenging.

"Casting for Vidya's role was challenging. I went through many auditions. When I came across Iram's audition, I felt she looked like Gulshan and would look apt as his sister. She has amazed me with her performance and dedication."

Syed praised Iram for transforming herself into a 16-year-old girl in just nine days.

He added: "For this role, Iram transformed herself in 9 days to look like a 16-year-old girl. She worked extremely hard on herself to look like a 16-year-old student."

"I remember an incident where she once told me that no one will cast her after seeing how plain she looks in the show but trust me, she will be appreciated for her performance."

Directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal, 'Shiksha Mandal' stars Gauahar Khan, Gulshan Devaiah and Pavan Raj Malhotra in prominent roles. The show is streaming on MX Player.