'I Don't Think I've Made It'

'It's taken me very long to get my foot into the door. But the kind of work or central roles that I want are still few.'

People have been noticing Kritika Kamra's work since her early days in television.

But that was only the chapter one of her acting career.

As she makes a switch from TV to films and OTT, Kritika is determined to break out of her image and take on unconventional roles that showcase her range in this 'chapter two'.

After making an impact in shows like Ali Abbas Zafar's political drama Tandav, Rensil D'Silva's crime thriller Bambai Meri Jaan and Anubhav Sinha's social drama Bheed, she is currently getting rave reviews for her role of a no-nonsense cop in Umesh Bist's time-bending thriller, Gyaarah Gyaarah.

"Once you get accepted in a certain image, you get a lot of love for it but it also becomes impossible for the audiences to reimagine you as somebody else. It's important to keep breaking your type," Kritika tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com.

With Gyaarah Gyaarah, you join the long list of actors who have donned the police uniform on screen. What significance does a cop role have for you?

There's a certain responsibility that comes with donning the uniform on screen.

There's also something that I've heard other actors say that the uniform transforms you. The moment you put it on, you feel a certain way, your body language changes, and it's true.

Growing up, there were very, very few female cop characters.

I remember Priyanka Chopra's character from Jai Gangaajal. But on OTT, we've seen a lot of great women police officers. It's nice that I've picked that one off my list.

What was your approach to this character?

The show is very realistic. We are not larger-than-life characters.

In fact, the idea was not to play it like a character.

I wanted to make Vamika a person and play her like somebody that I have seen in real life.

I met some real officers. I also saw a lot of YouTube videos of young police officers in India. There are many videos of young women in the force, in the UP and Haryana police force.

There are also interviews about how they cracked that exam, how they reached there, how they are making their place in a male-dominated profession.

Just like the show, if you have could have the ability to change the past, what would you do differently?

I don't know. (Pauses.)

I think when you look back in your life, they seem to be fine. Yes, in that moment, you struggle with certain things but when you look back, you realise it's leading you to something better.

It's a cliché, but absolutely true in my case. I wouldn't want to change anything.

Are you a fan of the mystery genre?

Mystery investigative thrillers are very exciting because they are immersive and engaging. It's like solving a puzzle.

One of my favourite shows is Mindhunter, which is a psychological investigative thriller. It is about trying to get into the head of certain criminals. Because we can't relate with these characters, getting into their heads through a protagonist is very fascinating.

Apart from Raghav Juyal and Dhairya Karwa, any other co-star you would want to solve real-life mysteries with?

Avinash Tiwary. He's my co-actor on Bambai Meri Jaan.

We've had many conversations and arguments about certain things in life. We're great friends but have some political disagreements.

So if we started to solve a mystery together, I think we'd have two great perspectives on how to go about it.

The character of Vamika feels the most relatable, as she deals with real struggles. What is it about this character that spoke to you?

I could relate with her struggles and conflicts.

I also relate with her journey. When you see her in the past, she's a young recruit, eager to prove herself, a little nervous. In the present timeline, you see her more sure-footed, more confident.

I feel my journey in the industry has been a bit like that.

When you start, there is a part of you that wants to please your mentors and the people around you.

After having been around for so many years, I've reached a place where there is a certain confidence that you have because of the skill you've acquired. You start enjoying the process even more because you're not stressing about it.

You once said the industry is quick to typecast actors. How do you constantly reinvent yourself and make sure that you don't fall into a box?

When I started out in television, I was the quintessential bubbly girl.

That was my tag and the same kind of roles were coming my way. I did that twice and then stopped repeating myself.

Very early on in my career, I realised that this is a double-edged sword. Once you get accepted in a certain image, you get a lot of love for it but it also becomes impossible for the audiences to reimagine you as somebody else.

It's important to keep breaking your type. That onus is on you, not on the makers.

You have to make choices that showcase your range as an actor, otherwise how will anybody know what you're capable of?

I have been able to break that by just auditioning. I audition for things people don't expect me to do.

Some casting directors have shown faith in me by calling me for these kind of things.

From that bubbly girl-next-door, I was able to play a gangster and now, a police officer.

You were a part of TV industry for a long before transitioning to films. What challenges did you face? Do you think the segregation of TV actors and film stars is fading out due to OTT?

It is not that simple, otherwise you would see a lot more actors working across all mediums.

If you've been really popular on television, people think you come with a baggage of over-exposure or a set image.

There's also a prejudice against TV actors. TV is looked down upon.

I can argue that not every TV actor acts like that. I didn't.

I wasn't even making the choices that mainstream television was doing at that time.

Which is why after many chances and auditions, I have got this part. For example, I had to wait for Tandav, my first OTT show, for a really long time.

I was very sure that I want to do something quality. I want to work on a premium platform. Television happened to me but I wanted to craft the second chapter of my career.

So I really waited.

A lot of things came my way but they seemed like low-hanging fruit to me. I wanted to break out of that and do something prestigious.

Tandav gave me that.

But work did not get me work, it got me auditions. There is still some distance to cover.

It's taken me very long to get my foot into the door. But the kind of work or central roles that I want are still few.

Have you figured out why?

Look, the tendency is to blame everything and everyone but yourself. I don't want to do that.

I think it's a combination of things. It is definitely an image that one has to break and like I said, the onus is completely on you.

Maybe this is the time I'm supposed to get the kind of stuff that I'm getting.

There's no formula to success.

I know for an outsider, my journey would look successful and I'm proud of it, but I don't think I've made it.

Did you ever think this isn’t for me? What were your options to fall back on?

I reached the end of the road on television, creatively speaking.

I have to look towards films and thankfully, streaming also came.

There was progressive stuff happening in films and I wanted to be a part of it.

I get this question from a lot of people: Will you come back to TV?

No, I won't.

Name one person who's successfully been able to balance both. You just can't. That medium is too demanding.

I've had to really wait for the right things. I'm eluded by overnight success.

What do you tell yourself when things do not work in your favour?

The nature of our job is to move on to the next.

When we are shooting, that project will release after a year or so. This is true for films and Web shows.

By that time, I have to advance my career. I have bills to pay.

I'm a realist. I don't sit and wait for that one thing to change my life.

Bambai Meri Jaan really changed things for me in great ways.

I keep working and looking for the next thing. That's what keeps me sane.

The next big thing for you is Nagraj Manjule's Matka King. How's that shaping up?

Yeah. I'm so excited to be working with Nagraj Manjule.

I watched his film Fandry in 2013 at MAMI.

I had taken a break from television during that time, so I was kind of unlearning and finding new ways of cinema, watching a lot of world cinema, doing theatre workshops.

I used to attend MAMI and watch as many films as I could.

I remember watching Fandry without even knowing the language. I understand Marathi quite well now after being so many years in Bombay but can't speak the language.

I was so affected by that film.

I watched Sairat when it released in theatres. I also watched Jhund.

I never thought there would be an opportunity to work with somebody like him because he's more into Marathi cinema but he's now doing things in Hindi.

When I got a chance to work with him on such an exciting concept, opposite Vijay Varma, everything just fell into place.