‘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.