In the six years since her last Hindi film Airlift (2016), Nimrat Kaur has featured in Wayward Pines, The Test Case (2017), and played an ISI agent in the final season of Homeland. An eclectic choice of projects, you would agree. So, it piques our interest when she says that Dasvi gave her a character she had “the most fun with”. “The journey from Bimmo to Bimla Devi was unrelatable for me. For the first time, I had to imagine everything from scratch,” she begins.

In the Netflix film, the actor plays a homemaker who becomes the chief minister overnight when her politician husband — essayed by Abhishek Bachchan — is put behind bars. It’s easy to see that her role is inspired by former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi. “I had heard the one-line [character sketch] in 2020; I hadn’t even heard the script. I knew right then that I had to do it. My interest was independent of whom the role was based on. She is initially oppressed, and then becomes an oppressor. I had to be careful not to judge her. I piled on 15 kilos, and did accent training. I will never forget this film because it is rewarding to play a part where there isn’t an ounce of Nimrat.”

Over the years, Kaur has learnt to juggle international and domestic projects. Her idea is simple — to build a repertoire that has a spectrum of performances. “I have a First-World problem. I have one gig here and one gig [in the West]. This is how it has been since The Lunchbox. My journey doesn’t conform to norms. The balancing act can be draining, but it feels great to play satisfying characters.” 

Next, she will take the baton from Kubbra Sait to play a key role in the second season of Apple TV’s Foundation. “For a sci-fi freak like me, it is a dream universe to be a part of. I have maximum scenes with Jared Harris, who is an institution. David Goyer [executive producer] is a genius. Plus, there is Alex Graves, with whom I worked on Homeland. He has a vision that’s rare to come by.”