Alya Nazir (Sair Khan)

[lizann]

I don't like Alya and Gary as a couple

awful

[lizann]

I don't like Alya and Gary as a couple

awful

[Perdita]

Life for the Nazir family changed forever in Thursday's Coronation Street episode (May 28) as Kal was killed in the devastating explosion at Victoria Court.

The next few weeks will see Kal's loved ones struggle to rebuild their lives following their terrible loss, with his daughter Alya finding it particularly difficult to cope.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Sair Khan, who plays Alya, for an exclusive insight into how Kal's death will affect the Nazirs.

After working with him so closely, is it strange not having Jimi Mistry on set now?
"It really is! You form such a close bond with the people that you work with a lot. Jimi has been there since the beginning for me and we hang out together too, so it's been really sad seeing him go.

"I watched a preview of Jimi's final episode with a few other workmates and I'm not going to lie, I had a bit of a tear in my eye! It was quite emotional saying goodbye to the character as well as a mate."

How have you coped with the secrecy surrounding the story?
"We had to keep everything under wraps with this storyline, so I just haven't told anyone about it! My sister is going to kill me when she sees Kal die, because I haven't even told her anything about it.

"She was asking me about Jimi and saying that it's a shame he's leaving because she really liked his character. I made up a complete bare-faced lie and told her that Jimi can come back if he wants to! (Laughs.) I said, 'It's not always forever, he can do some other things and then come back'. She believed me but little did she know, he can never come back!"

How is Alya going to cope with her father's death?
"In a nutshell, not very well! It's such a massive thing to lose a parent and she has lost both of them now, so you'll definitely see how that impacts Alya in every single aspect of her life. You'll see how it affects her relationships, her faith, her work, her friendships - everything that she's going to lose control of in a pretty bad way..."

Do the Nazir family stay united throughout this, or do they start to split apart?
"It's a difficult one, because everyone deals with grief in their own way. Grief is a process and there's no right or wrong answer with it. The Nazir family probably think that Alya is going to be the one who keeps them all together. They expect her to be that support network for everyone, but she can't do that at the moment.

"I think the grief is too much for Alya, so she doesn't deal with it in the way she expects to. She can't be there for her family in the way that she wants to be there."

Has the story been a challenge?
"It's definitely the biggest storyline I've had so far. It's great to have been given this opportunity a year after starting on the show, because it takes a while for you to live with your character and forge relationships with different people on the Street.

"I feel like Alya has now got quite strong bonds with certain people on the Street, so to be given the storyline at this point is an honour and also a massive challenge as well. You want to do it justice and tell the story as best you can."

Will Leanne stay close to the Nazir family?
"Definitely. They all know that Kal wanted to propose to Leanne and make her part of the family. As Kal wanted to spend the rest of his life with Leanne, it's important to the Nazirs to make her part of the family. If that was one of Kal's last wishes, then of course they want to honour that."

Zeedan was quite bitter towards Leanne in the immediate aftermath of Kal's death. Will he see sense?
"I think Zeedan just needed to take it out on someone at that moment. Once that has settled, Zeedan will see the pain that Leanne is going through. He also realises the reasons why Kal did what he did, by going into Victoria Court and saving Amy.

"Once that all becomes clear, Zeedan's attitude is less focused on his frictions with Leanne and it's more about concentrating on the fact that he needs to support his family and not be so bitter."

Have you filmed a funeral for Kal yet?
"Yeah, we've already filmed those scenes! It was so emotional. There's a lot of tears from everybody. With the flowers and everyone dressed for a funeral, it makes it feel so real when you film it. Obviously we're telling a story, but it amplifies it tenfold and it seems real. We really felt the tears and the emotions."

What was it like being part of the night shoots for the fire?
"It was really exciting and a fantastic experience to be part of. By the last day of the night shoots it had taken its toll a little bit, as the shoots had been going on for three weeks - it was 5.30am and freezing cold, so you kind of go to a different place in your head that's beyond tired! (Laughs.)

"Once we wrapped, I think everyone was so pleased to go home and get to their beds! But I really enjoyed the adrenaline of knowing that we were going to make this amazing story that would be kept under wraps. It added another element to it, so for us guys it was particularly exciting.

"There was a point where we did the explosion and whoever lives across the way at Media City called the fire brigade! That threw us a little bit, as we weren't sure how many people would know about the storyline because of that, but that's all part of making television like this - it keeps you on your toes!"

Will Gary be a strong source of support for Alya?
"Gary tries to be. Kal was his friend and Alya is his girlfriend so he's very much involved in what's happening. He absolutely wants to be there for Alya in any way he can. In his own past, Gary has found it difficult to deal with his emotions, but he's learned from that and he wants to help Alya.

"Unfortunately it's difficult because Alya is not really accepting of that help. It's too early in the grief process for her to even try to comprehend and absorb what's happened. As much as Gary is trying to help, it's kind of falling on deaf ears a little bit..."

We've seen that Alya has an ambitious nature and has some good ideas for the factory. Is that something you'd like to explore more?
"Absolutely! I didn't really know where the character was going to go when I first started, but I did know that she'd done a textiles and business degree course. With me being the detective that I think I am, my first reaction was, 'Oh my gosh, she's going to go into the factory!' (Laughs.)

"For me that was in the direction I always saw Alya going in, and sure enough a few months later, she did get a job at Underworld. It shows there are always clues there in the scripts! It's definitely a part of her character that I've enjoyed exploring. It's great, because there aren't that many other characters who are ambitious like that. Alya wants to start her own business one day and it's definitely an aspect of her that I'm enjoying playing."

Are you also enjoying Alya's on-screen rivalry with Sally Webster?!
"It's such a joy to work with Sally Dynevor. I always think that she's such a good actress that people probably think she's like that in real life! She's actually the nicest, loveliest woman you could ever meet. She's just hilarious, so natural and so modest - I'm in stitches when I do scenes with her. Sometimes I can't even get through them!

"It's so nice to do scenes with Sally and hopefully some of that comedy genius can rub off on me now that she's an award-winner!"

[tammyy2j]

Alya Nazir's grief for her father Kal has surprising consequences on Coronation Street next week as she jumps into bed with Jason Grimshaw.

The Underworld trainee pursues Jason (Ryan Thomas) following a very difficult week on the cobbles, which sees her grandfather Sharif suffer a health scare and her relationship with Gary Windass run into trouble.

Here, Sair Khan - who plays Alya - reveals why her character seeks comfort in the arms of another man.

How is Alya coping in the aftermath of Kal's death?
"Alya's not coping very well in light of her father's death. She tries to be strong for her family because grief is affecting each one of them in different ways, but I think it's building up inside of her like a pressure cooker. Alya's trying to keep it all inside of her, but inevitably she will get to a point where she will blow."

How does Alya feel next week when Craig Tinker presents a mural he has painted in memory of the tragedy?
"I think Alya is really touched by it. As caught up in her own grief as she is, she's also very aware of how affected other people have been by the fire - Sophie in particular, because of Maddie.

"The mural is really poignant and comes at a time of reflection for Alya and allows her to take stock of everything that's happened. It's also a nice way to keep Maddie's memory alive."

Alya also keeps busy when she starts trying to sell her own ideas to Underworld clients. Will her ambitions grow in the weeks ahead?
"I think Alya has always been very ambitious. When she first came to Weatherfield she'd just finished university and she was looking for a job in the fashion industry, so Underworld was a great launchpad for that. But it is just a launchpad, she doesn't want to be stuck in that office for the rest of her career - she wants her own business.

"For her this is about learning as much as she can from Carla, who is a very influential businesswoman and someone she looks up to. As she's gaining more confidence and a greater knowledge about how the industry works, her creative ideas begin to flow. I think this will be the first time the audience will see Alya gain confidence in herself and in her own abilities and we'll start to see a very different side to her."



How does Alya react when Sharif suffers a nasty asthma attack?
"Sharif's asthma attack is really traumatic for Alya because she's just lost her dad, she already doesn't have a mum and now one of her closest relatives Sharif - who has essentially raised her - is not in a good way. I think it instantly brings back the memories of the loss she's just experienced and she worries that it's going to happen again, so that's really unbearable for her."

Alya later goes to The Rovers and orders a glass of wine. Why does she storm out of the pub shortly afterwards?
"Alya goes to The Rovers with the intention of having a drink, but Gary comes after her after he gets a phone call from Yasmeen saying that she's worried about Alya. Alya is humiliated that he's come in trying to save her. All of her work friends are in the pub and she knows she's making the wrong decision, but she wants to be able to make her own choices. It doesn't go quite to plan and Gary embarrasses her, so she storms out of the pub.

"Before that, she sees Kal's jacket and she wants to keep his memory alive but she doesn't know how to communicate her emotions or express how she's feeling. Instead of trying to work through that, she goes on the defensive, shuts down her emotions and has a moment of madness.

"Everything she's done in her life so far - following the rules, staying on the straight and narrow - hasn't worked, so she does the complete opposite. She's trying to get some relief from the situation."

How does Alya end up at Jason's place?
"She storms out of the pub and ends up having an argument with Gary in the flat. She goes from wanting one thing she's never had to wanting another thing, asking Gary to take her to bed.

"In her grief Gary doesn't think this is a good thing to do. Making this defiant stance and getting knocked back pushes her even more into this spiral so she storms off. Alya sees Jason with a couple of cans of beer and she ends up going back with him."

What happens when they go back to Jason's?
"Earlier in the week, Jason came to Alya's rescue at the Bistro when she was having a meeting with a difficult client, so they've spoken very briefly about what she's going through and she's confided in him a little bit. When they're back in the flat after they've had a few drinks, I think she can see a lot of herself in Jason - he's a nice guy who makes the right choices and he is honorable. In that moment she just needs that comfort from someone who she thinks understands her and she goes to make a move.

"Jason does pull back initially because it's a shock for him and he's not expecting that from her. But he is going through his own heartache and troubles, which Alya isn't privy to because they're both quite selfish in this situation."

What's Alya's state of mind after going to bed with Jason?
"Alya's distraught after. I think she instantly regrets it. She sobers up quickly and the realisation of what she's just done and what that could potentially mean to her family and her relationship with Gary dawns on her. She's devastated."

How does Alya react when an oblivious Gary later proposes to her?
"The fact that Gary ends up proposing is a bit out of the blue for her and it really compounds her guilt. She realises the things that Gary has done - pulling her out of the pub, not letting her have a drink, not succumbing to her advances - is all because he loves her and cares about her and he's trying to do the right thing by her.

"She realises that Gary really truly loves her, but the fact that she's just done what she did is heartbreaking for her."


Is Alya tempted to tell Gary what happened?
"As much as Alya said that she's sick of being the good girl, she's got very strong morals and she knows that Gary needs to know the truth. She knows he doesn't deserve being lied to.

"I don't think that she'll be able to keep it to herself. I think she'll try, but it'll be very difficult because she respects Gary so much more than that. I don't think she could live with the burden of the lie."

[lizann]

will a little jase junior be arriving in 9 months alya

[Perdita]

Is the Pope Catholic? Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Do male dogs like lamp posts? Do bears do their business in the woods?

[lizann]

Is the Pope Catholic? Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Do male dogs like lamp posts? Do bears do their business in the woods?

ive never slept with dolly so don't know

[lizann]

Is the Pope Catholic? Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Do male dogs like lamp posts? Do bears do their business in the woods?

ive never slept with dolly so don't know

[Perdita]

ive never slept with dolly so don't know

Point taken

[parkerman]

ive never slept with dolly so don't know

Well it would be difficult for her to sleep on her front.