With The Great Indian Murder, creator Tigmanshu Dhulia brings a maze of politics, power and corruption. At the centre of it are leads Richa Chadha and Pratik Gandhi. The Disney+ Hotstar series sees Chadha play an honest police officer investigating the murder of a minister’s son. Before stepping in front of the camera, the actor prepped extensively, beginning with reading the source material — Vikas Swarup’s bestseller Six Suspects.

“Research empowers us with knowledge and makes us better prepared for [the job at hand]. An acting job is no different. My character required me to attain a certain degree of technical know-how before being able to portray the role responsibly. I spent a lot of time reading books and articles on high-profile crime cases. Only by becoming thorough with what my role essentially stands for, did I get the confidence to pull it off in front of the camera,” says Chadha.

The actor found a pillar of strength in Dhulia, who helped her perfect the part. “When he gave me the script, he said I am the spine of the story. He believed I could play the part with integrity and dignity. I felt humbled by that.”

She is glad to note that the director, in their first collaboration, saw her beyond her popular role of Bholi Punjaban. “He understands the artiste that I am, and cast me [accordingly]. Usually, I am expected to do a louder, crasser version of the character I played in Fukrey. Ali [Fazal, partner] had told me that I can [blindly] trust Tigmanshu. Working with him makes me a better performer.”