Alya Nazir (Sair Khan)

[lizann]

alya blackmails grand daddy over his affair for cash for a factory project

[olivia1896]

alya blackmails grand daddy over his affair for cash for a factory project

Yeah just read the interview on digital spy. Apparantly she just wants Sharif to suffer

[Perdita]

Coronation Street explores a whole new side to Alya Nazir next week as she ruthlessly blackmails her grandfather Sharif for cash.

When Alya uncovers part of Sharif's big secret by forcing him to admit that he's cheated on Yasmeen with Sonia, she decides to use the situation to her advantage by extorting money from him.

That's certainly not the Alya we all know! Sair Khan, who plays her, reveals all here...

How does Alya feel when she finds out about Sharif's affair?

"Alya feels completely dumbfounded. She had suspicions that something was going on between him and Sonia, but she never thought she was going to be proved right. She only ever thought it was flirting and in her head that was the worst case scenario - it wasn't on and she was going to tell him off.

"Alya never even contemplated the reality of what Sharif has been up to and she's so shocked. Alya's always looked up to her grandparents and held them in such high regard, so this causes her to lose all respect for Sharif.

"Initially she doesn't find out the duration of the affair. She thinks it was a one-time thing years ago, so for her to have such a strong reaction without knowing the full truth says something about how disturbed she is by it all."

Is Alya tempted to tell Yasmeen?

"The only thing that's stopping her from telling Yasmeen the truth is that Sharif plays it down so much and tells her it happened a long time ago and he has massive regrets.

"She wants to tell Yasmeen the truth but she doesn't know what good it's going to do. She's scared of breaking up the family and she doesn't want to be the one who has to tear the family apart."

But then she ends up blackmailing Sharif! What do you make of this ruthless side of Alya?

"I think there are a few aspects to the blackmail. One is that Alya is furious with Sharif. He's also got the cash at his disposal because he's about to buy Sonia a flat, but yet he won't invest in her. Also she wants to punish him. She doesn't want him to have his cake and eat it.

"Alya's trying to make the best of a bad situation for herself. Her main motivation isn't to get herself ahead, though, it's to punish Sharif. It's not as selfish as it seems."

Why does Alya need the money she asks Sharif for?

"Alya is trying to set up a new business with Aidan, running alongside Underworld. Last year she made some bespoke basques with Sinead and when Aidan finds the designs, he thinks he has clients who'd be interested.

"But they realise they're going to need some new machinery to recreate the embroidery on the designs, so she needs the money to buy this expensive machine. She wants to become 50/50 business partners with Aidan on this side strand of the factory - she wants a bit more power."

Sinead Tinker and Alya Nazir discuss their design ideas at the factory in Coronation Street
© ITV
Alya seems to be turning into a hard-nosed businesswoman - and even tells Sinead that she's no longer required! Would you say she's very ambitious?

"I think Alya is very ambitious. When she came onto the street having finished university, she had grand plans to start her own business and that's always been her goal. But over the last two years, she's had so many setbacks in her personal life that it's been really difficult for her to achieve her dream.

"When she blamed Carla for her dad Kal's death, that really set her back in the factory, so she's been doing her best to get back up the ladder ever since. When this opportunity arises, she's determined to make the most of it.

"Everything else is falling to pieces around her after the discovery of Sharif's affair and it's only her work, her drive and her ambition that are holding her together at the moment.

"In terms of Sinead, it's nothing personal. It's just that she knows to focus on the business and make any money out of it she can't have any spare parts and Sinead's collateral damage, sorry!"

Would you like to explore an even darker side to Alya's character?

"Yes I'd definitely like to see her go darker. Reflecting on everything that's happened to her over the last few years, I don't think you would just be bright and bubbly. She's been orphaned, lost what she thought was the love of her life through a stupid mistake which nearly ripped her family apart, and now she's realised she's on her own. She's got to look out for herself."

How did you all react as an on-screen family when you learned about Sharif's affair twist?

"We all reacted very positively, because as a family it gives us all so much to play out. It sticks us bang in the middle of all the conflict. It was set up so perfectly after seeing Sharif's strong reaction towards Alya when he found out about her fling with Jason. Now we find out he's had an affair, the hypocrisy of the situation is great to play."

What is your dream storyline for Alya? Underworld's new boss, perhaps?

"My dream for Alya wouldn't be to own Underworld, but to own her own business on the street that would rival Underworld and be better. And to see her become a bit of a business mogul - she's got dreams that are bigger than just knicker factories."

Is it about time Alya found a new man?

"It's absolutely time that Alya found a new man. Gary's moved on and she's genuinely happy for him. She's put to bed what happened even though she'll always love him and it's great to see him looking to the future and she wants the same for herself.

"She needs someone to test her, so we can see a different side to her. I think she needs an older man, who's strong, who's got their life sorted and who's got focus and drive like she has."


Digital Spy

[tammyy2j]

I don't like this side to Alya but glad she have more scenes with Aidan as they would work better as a couple

[Perdita]

I don't like this side to Alya but glad she have more scenes with Aidan as they would work better as a couple

Must admit, don´t like this storyline, hope it does not last long with repeated demands of money

[tammyy2j]

Must admit, don´t like this storyline, hope it does not last long with repeated demands of money

Her nana won't be so proud she knew and demanded money

[swmc66]

Do not like this change of character in Alya. What next will Zeedan become the local gangster? Their grandad has also shown us a completely different character. So does this mean no one can have a set personality and it changes with the wind on a weekly basis like Todd!

[swmc66]

Maybe they could have sharif raid company bank account and disappear after last night! That would be convincing.

[Perdita]

They could recast him . would save a lot of re-writing storylines, most of the time hastily re-written scripts are not very good

[tammyy2j]

Do not like this change of character in Alya. What next will Zeedan become the local gangster? Their grandad has also shown us a completely different character. So does this mean no one can have a set personality and it changes with the wind on a weekly basis like Todd!

I think Todd has always had a bad side