Actor Kritika Kamra acknowledges that while artists are not the ultimate decision-makers, her deliberate career choices have helped build a perception where people don't come to her for bystander roles.
After winning acclaim for her relatable performance in “The Great Shamsuddin Family”, she now joins Vijay Varma in Nagraj Manjule’s “The Matka King”, portraying a wealthy Parsi widow.
Both Kamra and Varma are self-made industry outsiders who have built their reputations from the ground up.
While Kamra celebrates her current trajectory, she admits a desire for even greater creative autonomy moving forward.
"He (Vijay) recently said he is carefully trying to build his filmography. I relate with that because I'm doing the same. We both feel that the cumulative sum of everything would be worth it. And I've never had, at least not since my television years, any overnight success or one defining career moment. It has been small steps and multiple roles that have now shaped a certain perception," Kamra said in an interview.
"Now, the work that comes my way is of a certain kind and quality because people see all my work together and the diversity in it or just the fact that I refuse to play the bystander in a story... So it's going to start reflecting on the things that come my way. But yes, the idea is to be in this for the long haul, and to build something meaningful over time," the actor said.
Kamra, born in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, spent her early years in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi before moving to Mumbai after being spotted for a television role.
She shot to fame with "Kitani Mohabbat Hai" and its sequel, and "Kuch Toh Log Kahenge".
Also read: Vijay Varma’s ‘Matka King’ out on April 17
The actor transitioned to OTT, featuring in shows such as "Kaun Banegi Shikharvati", "Gyaarah Gyaarah" and "Bambai Meri Jaan" as well as the controversial series "Tandav".
Kamra said she has always tried to make better choices from whatever comes her way.
"Actually, I'm still not in the driving seat. I'm definitely trying to make better choices and choosing instinctively and also carefully from what I'm offered. But as an actor, you can never really be the sole decider of anything. So it's a lot about the environment, what is being made currently, what's going to come your way, how are the female characters in those things. So there are times when I have to really wait for a long time for something meaningful to come by," she said.
Kamra said her character in "Matka King" is again something that she has not done before.
"I play a young Parsi woman from South Bombay. There's nothing in common that the character and I have and she becomes instrumental in bringing or during the rise of this game, in bringing this game to her section of society and when the rich and famous start playing it," she said.
The actor said it took her a while to understand the game of Matka, a numbers-based gambling racket that was once rampant across India, as she didn't grow up in Mumbai.
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