Erica Fernandes breaks down why her TV comeback show, 108 Base Hospital URI, is limited to 30 episodes and shares details about Shaheer Sheikh’s special cameo in Kashmir.
After five long years away from television, Erica Fernandes has finally stepped back into the spotlight with Colors TV’s high-octane military medical drama 108 Base Hospital URI.
In a recent chat with Variety India, the actress shared why her new show has been made as a short 30-episode mini-series instead of a long daily TV drama.
Erica explained that people’s attention spans are getting shorter every day, and most viewers no longer enjoy watching daily TV shows that drag on for four or five years. Instead, modern audiences prefer short, crisp stories that they can watch whenever they have free time.
The actress praised Colors TV for making a smart and modern decision with this quick format. While she agreed that classic shows like Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi are still loved and rewatched by fans even in 2026, she believes most TV shows are best enjoyed over a smaller number of episodes.
When asked what made her say yes to playing Dr. Major Naina Sanyal, Erica did not hide her excitement about stepping into such a powerful avatar. She explained that Major Naina Sanyal is a surgeon working in an Army hospital and expressed that playing someone from the Indian Army is a matter of immense pride.
The actress mentioned being glad to perform action sequences, noting that such roles are rarely written for women on Indian television. She also highlighted how different the project feels from routine television shows.
‘This entire series has been shot like a movie. The writing is also very different from typical Indian dailies. You can describe it as a hybrid between a TV serial and an OTT series,” she was quoted as saying.
The show also holds a sweet surprise for longtime fans: an on-screen reunion with her close friend and former co-star Shaheer Sheikh.
Erica confirmed that he completed a guest appearance for one episode and expressed how thrilled the team was to have him on board. She revealed that he agreed to the cameo primarily because the shoot was taking place in his hometown of Bhaderwah in Kashmir. Having heard about Bhaderwah from him for years, the actress shared how special it was to film there together. She added that Shaheer personally took the team around to see his childhood roots, including his school and family home.
She added, “It was cute. It was special as we are so close as friends.”
108 Base Hospital URI follows trauma surgeons Dr. Major Anirudh (Gashmeer Mahajani) and Dr. Major Naina (Erica Fernandes) as they battle life‑or‑death emergencies while navigating personal scars. The limited series also features Nikhil Khurana, Hiten Tejwani, and Smita Bansal.
