Sami is the victim of a racist attack
HOLLYOAKS STAR RISHI NAIR TELLS US HOW HIS ALTER EGO SAMI IS COPING WITH HAVING EXTREMISTS LIVING SO CLOSE TO HOME…
As Hollyoaks’ far-right organisation continues to make its mark on the village this week, Sami Maalik soon finds himself the victim of a violent racist attack. And when we sit down to talk to star Rishi Nair, who plays Sami, he informs us that his alter ego might not remain as calm as we would hope…
“We know that Sami is capable of revenge, because that’s how he first came into the show – he came to Hollyoaks for James Nightingale,” the actor reminds us. “Right now, Sami’s trying to keep a lid on things, but he has been quite heated at points. He has his lawyer hat on, and knows that if he fights fire with fire he’ll mess up the whole case – although it remains to be seen whether he will lose his head.”
With the Maalik family enjoying its annual Eid celebration, the clan invites the children from next door
to join in the festivities – and that agitates Stuart, Jonny and Ste, which can only lead to more trouble.
“Leah and Lucas can hear the music from the Maalik garden, so the family asks them to come over,” says Rishi. “It’s all going well until Ste, Stuart and Jonny burst in, and there’s a bit of a confrontation between Stuart and Sami. Later on, Sami’s just walking through the village and someone pops out of an alleyway with pepper spray! Even though everyone knows who it is, Sami has to try to find some concrete evidence because he’s a lawyer, and he knows that it’s just his word against Stuart’s.”
The storyline still has a long way to go before the scales fall from Ste’s eyes – and Rishi tells us just how proud he is to be part of such an important plot.
“I think it’s really good that it’s been such a slow burner,” shares Rishi. “If you were living in a small village where it was happening, that’s how it would feel. It wouldn’t be one very intense week and then stop. It’s like what we saw at the start – a little remark here and there, little looks, then things start to happen. It’s hard to film those confrontation scenes, but as soon as we break and cut we always have a laugh, which really helps.”
But it’s not all bad for Sami right now, as his friendship with Sinead is going from strength to strength – and it appears that romance is finally blossoming…
“They’re fun together, and I think you can see the sparks between them,” grins
Rishi. “They bring out the best in each other, and obviously when Sinead arrived back in the village, she and Sami had a fling – so we know there’s been romance from the start. I like them together, though.”
Despite Sami’s success in the romance department, Rishi reveals that he’d like his alter ego to bond with some of the male residents of Hollyoaks.
“I’m good friends with Jacob Roberts, who plays Damon,” shares the star. “I’ve never done a scene with him before. His character is much less serious than Sami, but just because he’s my mate and for a laugh, I’d like to do a scene with him.”
And with Sami fully settled in the village, perhaps there’s now room in his life for his birth mother…
“Sami’s mum might arrive at some point,” guesses Rishi. “There have been references to her over the years, and
I do wonder if there might be some friction between her and Misbah…”
Sami knows that it’s just his word against Stuart’s