Ayush Mehra feels men — both on and off screen — should be able to show their vulnerable side. “In the age of social media, we are talking about self-love, but I think we need to practise it more,” says the actor, who is popular for his numerous stints on the web, including Please Find Attached, Call My Agent Bollywood and Operation MBBS.

Recently seen in the web series Minus One: New Chapter, Mehra adds, “I also realized that men don’t have to be ‘men’ all the time. It’s okay to accept mistakes and keep egos aside. Men are allowed to be vulnerable. These are the things that I explored as an actor and a human being through the show. It’s okay for men to accept their mistakes and keep their egos aside.”

Mehra, who plays Varun in the project by writer-director Shubham Yogi, which gives an honest look at love and breakups in today’s times, talks about the biggest takeaway from the show: “Time heals everything. As the show progressed, we explored deeper human emotions. I understood that everything in life cannot be explained in black and white because there is a lot of grey. And with reasoning and understanding between two people, a lot can be solved. That aside, you have to love yourself first in order to give love to someone else. A lot of people do not understand this concept. One can do a lot of things for the one they love, but if they do not love themselves and be happy with themselves, they cannot give happiness to another person.”

About his co-star Aisha Ahmed, who portrays his love interest Ria, Mehra says, “Aisha and I have been friends for eight years, and we have worked together earlier as well. So, we are not only comfortable with each other as co-actors but also as individuals. We trust each other a lot. When you are acting as a couple, the chemistry comes from the comfort you share in each other’s company. And she knows that when I am doing something on screen, it is not to take her scene away or put her down. We didn’t have to filter our thoughts. Instead, we decided to go with the flow. That is the primary thing for creating on-screen chemistry.”

Actor Aisha Ahmed and Minus One: New Chapter co-star Ayush Mehra have been receiving rave reviews for their crackling chemistry in the web show. When asked what went into creating such a connection, Ahmed says, “Ayush and I put in a lot of effort into creating this on-screen chemistry. As there were intimate scenes in the show, we took a 15-day workshop to get it right.”

The actor continues, “It was really helpful and we learned a lot. We also sat with the director of the show to understand the script better and that was equally helpful.”

As Minus One: New Chapter highlights the friendship between a boy and a girl, we ask the actor if two people of the opposite gender can be just friends. Sharing her experience on the subject, Ahmed says, “I have been just friends with boys, but they would end up expecting more from me. It broke my heart. Thankfully, I have also met some boys who are my best friends without any romantic feelings. So, yes a girl and boy can be friends. I hope more people understand that romance is not a prerequisite for such relationships.”

The Adulting actor adds, “In small towns, people still believe that a boy and a girl cannot be just friends. Pushing the narrative of romantic relationships is simply wrong. In fact, in the [latest] web show we have touched upon topics, some dynamics of a relationship that are usually unexplored in any love story.”