Chennai, Jan 12 (IANS): Actress Nikki Galrani, who didn't mind playing a ghost in forthcoming Tamil debut "Darling", which releases in cinemas Thursday, says playing a possessed character left her physically and mentally drained out.

"It was extremely challenging because I'm a peace lover and I can't scream. But this character had me screaming my lungs out every time I get possessed. This role required me to be elevated from the bed and tied to a rope and was left to hang in mid-air. All this was physically exhausting," Nikki told IANS.

"We shot the whole movie in a single schedule in a house for 35 days, mostly during the night. We didn't sleep in the nights for nearly a month. I ended up with a bad headache and experienced disturbing images in my sleep. It had a lot of effect on my psyche as well," she added.

Nikki still considers the role as one of the best she's done so far in her career.

"I think one should be really fortunate to get such a character. Agreed that I play a ghost and the getup is not pretty but I won't be seen as a ghost throughout. The ghost, for whom the audience will root for, appears periodically, and I'll also be seen in my normal looks," she added.

How did she prepare for the role of a ghost?

"I tried to see how people act when they get possessed. I watched a few horror movies and some Youtube videos of people getting possessed in real life. I wanted to see how differently I can portray the role," she said.

Also starring composer-turned-actor G.V Prakash Kumar, "Darling" is the remake of Telugu blockbuster "Prema Katha Chitram".

The film is jointly produced by Geetha Arts and Studio Green.