Harshada Rege (DNA; March 21, 2018)

Though Nimrat Kaur has been lauded for her acting prowess, she has had full-fledged roles in just two movies — The Lunchbox (2013) and Airlift (2016) — in Bollywood. She was also part of two international shows — Homeland and Wayward Pines (both in 2015) — and made her digital debut with The Test Case last year. Now, she wants to connect with the audience on the home front on a regular basis.

After Hrs caught up with the actress who spoke about dabbling in different mediums and her future plans. Excerpts from the interview...

You have been part of movies, Hollywood shows and series. What has been the most demanding of the lot?
Doing a web series was the most gruelling experience for me. That was also because in The Test Case, I wasn’t part of a story that was based on various characters. As I was essaying the protagonist, the amount of work that I needed to put in was monumental.

Go on...
It was extremely demanding. Sometimes, we would shoot for almost 15 hours a day and I would barely get any time to rest as I was present in practically every scene. The part required both mental and physical effort. Some days would be a blur. There were times when I couldn’t sleep because I was so wired with all that had happened on the sets. And then there were days when I would return battered and bruised.

You played an army commando in your first web series. You also hail from an army background, so did that help?
That world was familiar to me because I have grown up in an army environment. That’s my natural habitat (laughs). I was raised in cantonments, and have had people in uniforms around me. So, in that sense, there was a huge comfort level. But I had to work hard to understand the character emotionally and physically. She is not like me.

The digital space has created a lot of buzz these days...
I think this a super exciting phase. There’s suddenly so much more that people can lend themselves to – both on and off the camera. They are able to find a voice in a different medium, which does not have to conform to the norms of cinema as a medium. You don’t have to think about what you can or can’t say. You are talking to a global audience. Anyone anywhere will have access to it at any point in time, so in that way, it’s a seductive medium. It’s a great avenue to express themselves on. It’s not the future but the present. Everyone wants to be a part of the digital medium.

It also doesn’t have any censorship. Does that make it more appealing?
It does help when you get to express like a character would in real life and don’t have to think if you can show or say certain things. It brings you as close to reality as possible.

Does it take a lot of effort to get a break in the foreign market?
I was fortunate to be introduced to that market because of The Lunchbox. The makers of Homeland had seen my films and they wanted me for it. Wayward Pines happened as I was a part of Homeland. That’s how the ball gets rolling. I feel it’s great to be associated with a film that people across the world can relate to. That’s a great starting point.

While working in international shows is a great opportunity, it does keep you away from home. Do you feel that every time you come back, you have to work towards making your presence felt or get noticed by filmmakers?
Yes, for sure. For me, it does take time to come back, meet people and let them know that I’m available for work. People often wonder, ‘Oh, do you live in Mumbai or in Los Angeles?” That kind of a gap can be long...even four or five months sometimes. You feel disoriented even mentally. It takes me a little while to come back and get into the groove of things. But once you are here, then it’s just a matter of time before you crack the next project.

Having worked here as well as in Hollywood, do you ever make any comparisons?
Of course, working abroad is different because their culture is different from ours. But as an actor, it’s all been the same for me. I always approach my work from the character’s point of view rather than what medium it is meant for.

There has been a huge debate in Hollywood as well as here about the pay-scale disparity between male and female actors. What’s your take on it?
I have a slightly different take on this. Your remuneration is directly proportional to the number of people who come to watch you in the theatre. If you have a strong audience base, your pay-scale will keep graduating. There are female actresses who get a lot more than their male contemporaries because they are bigger stars. In my career, I know that today I can command more than what I could five years ago. Of course, there is a disparity, I am not denying that, but I also feel that if you, as a star, have the power to bring people to the theatre, then you will be given what you ought to be given, regardless of whether you are a guy or a girl.

You have always received critical acclaim for your work. What’s your motivation when you take up a new role?
I have never worked for critical acclaim, money, or fame. For me, I live my life through the parts that I play. Before you know, a year has passed and you are a year older than when you took up a certain role. I love to be an entertainer and be a part of a story that I would want the audience to see. Those experiences are priceless to me.

A lot of actors are moving away from the one-film-at-a-time format. Do you also feel the need to put out more work?
Yes, I want to work much more now. I want to connect with the audience at a better frequency. I’ve been a little too patient with some projects that I have been a part of, sometimes you just learn your lesson. I’m going to make some corrections on that front as well (smiles).