Showing posts with label Foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foundation. Show all posts
We are in such a great time in Indian cinema when films are being led by women-Kubbra Sait
8:19 AM
Jaspreet Nijher (BOMBAY TIMES; April 17, 2024)
Kubbra Sait has a professional rule, she doesn’t limit herself to projects based on their platform or commercial standing. “I allow life and profession to surprise me,” says the actress.
In Amritsar some time back, speaking to us Kubbra said, “For 14 years I have been visiting The Golden Temple, Amritsar with the same friend.” She added, “When I moved to Mumbai in 2010, I had heard about a friend’s experience of The Golden Temple, and how humbling it is. I also queue up with the others for darshan. It is that part of the year when I give time to my faith. Of course, the food in Amritsar is great! I return with my stomach and heart full.”
Reflecting on her acting journey, Kubbra, who has done Sacred Games and films like Sultan and Gully Boy, says she is not tied to the platform. “Though when you get a good script platform doesn’t matter, the thing with OTT is that in one shot it delivers in 190 countries.”
She added, “In the five years since I became an actor, I’m getting the kind of work I’ve been hungry for. Whether it was my role as Phara Keaen in the Hollywood sci-fi show Foundation, or my next film Deva, an action thriller. As an actor, you keep waiting for good scripts and when you get them, you don’t shy away, no matter if it’s a digital or theatrical release.”
However, Kubbra wishes theatrical films could adapt and borrow from OTT. “In a two-hour theatrical film, the characters will be smaller compared to an 8-hour project on OTT long format,” she said, adding, “If films followed OTT, they could add more contemporary value, but unfortunately the process of filmmaking has remained unchanged.”
Commenting on her body of work she said, “I keep my eyes open and don’t let anyone else run my career. I am very proud of my roles, and accept everything, including criticism. After all, we are in such a great time in Indian cinema when films are being led by women. Kudos to the filmmakers who have the courage to give such films a chance, without underestimating the intellect of our audiences.”
I couldn’t have gone ahead knowing I let School Of Lies pass-Nimrat Kaur
8:12 AM
Nimrat says fronting School Of Lies was a no-brainer, thanks to ‘game-changer’ of a story and the chance to work with Paatal Lok director Avinash Arun
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 9, 2023)
Nimrat Kaur is not new to long-format storytelling, having featured in The Test Case (2017), Wayward Pines (2016), and the award-winning series, Homeland. Headlining her latest web series, School Of Lies, was an easy decision. For the actor, the draw was collaborating with director Avinash Arun.
“I had always wanted to work with Avinash. I was curious to know what he would make after Killa [2014] and Paatal Lok [2020]. I have done a lot of long-format series abroad, but in India, I found myself more drawn to films. But this story was a game-changer. I couldn’t have gone ahead knowing I let this pass,” she smiles.
In the Disney+ Hotstar offering, Kaur plays a student counsellor trying to get to the bottom of a child’s mysterious disappearance from the boarding school. She found the perfect inspiration in her sister Rubina.
“My sister was formerly a student counsellor. I had observed her closely for many years. The ability to connect with a child and to think like them is the most crucial part of the job.”
It seems Kaur has made a conscious choice to do more work in India. After 'Dasvi' last year, the actor has a busy 2023 with School Of Lies, Happy Teachers’ Day, and Sky Force with Akshay Kumar. “It’s not a calculated move at all. I’m an emotional person who decides on projects that make it to my heart. I don’t care if it’s made in Iran, India or Europe. The question is — is it something I’d like to watch? If it is, I will chase it.”
A prime example is the upcoming second season of the Apple TV+ series, Foundation, in which she features in episodes one and six. “I got to work with Jared Harris, one of my all-time favourite actors. It was the most educating experience of my career. It was an honour to be a small part of this big franchise.”
Having started out with music videos, Kaur graduated to movies and web shows, emerging as a dependable actor over the years.
Nearing the two-decade mark in the industry, she reflects, “I haven’t cracked the code [to success]. What takes you forward is remaining curious, not getting bored and never allowing yourself to stagnate.”
My journey doesn’t conform to norms. The balancing act can be draining-Nimrat Kaur
8:11 AM
Nimrat Kaur discusses enjoying the best of both worlds as she headlines Dasvi and an international project in Foundation 2
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 26, 2022)
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.”
There’s a lot of dignity of labour abroad-Nimrat Kaur
8:15 AM
Nimrat Kaur lauds the film industry of the West for meting out equal treatment to everyone
Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 19, 2022)
Actor Nimrat Kaur made her Hollywood debut in 2014 with the fourth season of the TV series, Homeland. After landing another series, Wayward Pines, and the eighth season of Homeland, she will now appear in the second season of the web series, Foundation: “It’s a science fiction show, a genre I haven’t attempted before. It’s surreal and otherworldly. Sci-fi has always fascinated me. I’m elated to be partaking in something like this.”
Quiz her if she has adapted to the working culture of the West and the 40-year-old says, “I think one can never get used to how Hollywood functions, because each time you work abroad, it’s a different kettle of fish, in terms of the subject or country you’re shooting in.”
But she hopes that Hollywood is more acquainted with her skill set now. She says, “As you work more and more, you get new projects by word of mouth. Sometimes, the people you’ve worked with want you in a project. A reason why Foundation came to me is because I’d worked with the director in Homeland.”
The Airlift (2016) actor hails the film industry of the West for meting out equal treatment to everyone. “There’s a lot of dignity of labour abroad, which is impressive. Timelines are followed in a particular manner. As for us (Bollywood), we unfortunately don’t have their kind of scale, but we’re getting there,” Kaur concludes.
Earlier, people knew me as Cuckoo. Now, I am Phara-Kubbra Sait
8:14 AM
Nominated in Best Online Sensation category at mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, Kubbra says Foundation has opened new doors
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 22, 2022)
What’s the one thing that has changed for the actor after Foundation? That’s the note on which we begin our chat with Kubbra Sait, who is a contender in the Best Online Sensation category at the third edition of mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, thanks to her role in the Apple TV series.
“I’m consciously putting myself out there more. I’m willing to chase more work across the globe. For a long time, I felt no one watched the show in India. But Apple TV is becoming a big thing now. The show was the start of bigger things for me. It gives me confidence that I was the only Indian in one of the biggest science fiction shows made in [recent times],” she exclaims.
Sait plays the antagonist, Phara in the series. “Earlier, people knew me as Cuckoo [her character in Sacred Games]. Now, I am Phara.” She adds that it was initially difficult to understand Phara’s menacing ways. “She was brutal. Her death is [more than] just about the bad guy dying.”
Game for more projects in the West, she admits she is being perceived differently on home turf too. Citing the example of a chat with filmmaker Rohan Sippy, she says, “[When we met], he said, ‘Hail Phara’. [The show] has left a lasting impact on those who watched it.”
Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards
Kubbra Sait has been nominated in the Best Online Sensation category for Foundation. The other nominees are:
. Anupam Tripathi (Squid Game, Netflix)
. Bhuvan Bam (Dhindora, YouTube)
. Sahdev Dirdo (Bachpan Ka Pyaar, YouTube)
. Sunny Hinduja (Aspirants, YouTube)
. Vir Das (Two Indias, social media)
Log on to www.radiocity.in/hitlistawards to cast your vote.
You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.
Voting lines close on March 18.
As we make a fresh start in 2022, let’s be thankful and just keep going-Kubbra Sait
8:08 AM
Divya Kaushik (BOMBAY TIMES; December 25, 2021)
Even if it was for a day, a visit to Delhi and meeting old friends was a refreshing change for Kubbra Sait. The actress was in the capital recently to attend an event hosted by her designer pals. The only spoiler, she says, was the poor air quality in NCR. “I walked out of the airport and I choked. The smog was horrible. I felt like I was stepping into a gas chamber. My heart breaks for every Delhiite. The least we can do is hope for clean air to breathe, but the destruction that we have caused to the environment all these years has resulted in this. We cannot single out just one or two reasons for the poor air quality that we have today,” said Kubbra.
‘I’M A FOREVER FAN OF DELHI’S BUTTER CHICKEN’
The actress shares that she spent some days in Delhi during the initial years of her career, shooting for a food show. Thanks to that experience, she is now a forever fan of Delhi’s butter chicken. “I shot two episodes of the show, and they were on butter chicken and chaat. I was someone who never liked butter chicken, but after trying the delicacy in Delhi, I can never say no to butter chicken there. Food has connected me to the city and each time I am there, I look forward to eating nihari, kulchas, piping hot jalebis and a lot more,” said the actress.
‘I AM THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES I GOT’
As the year 2021 draws to a close, Kubbra looks back on the year gone by with a great amount of gratitude, as she got the opportunity to shoot for one of her biggest projects — an international sci-fi show, Foundation — in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. “It was not easy being away from home. It was physically and emotionally draining, but now when I look back at it, I am thankful that I had that opportunity. I worked really hard for it and I am so full of gratitude that my hard work paid off and I got to do something as big as this. Going forward, as we all will end this year and make a fresh start in 2022, I would just say that let’s take lessons from what we experienced into account, be thankful and just keep going,” says Kubbra.
It’s not just about being a brown skinned actor setting milestones-Kubbra Sait
8:39 AM
Making her international debut with Foundation, Kubbra Sait credits the sci-fi series for being rich in writing as well as diversity
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 10, 2021)
Looking back at the memorable first season of Sacred Games, the actor who truly left a mark was Kubbra Sait as the sassy Cuckoo. Four years since her big break, the actor has made her international debut with Apple TV’s new series, Foundation. The magnum opus is a 10-episode saga—based on Isaac Asimov’s book series of the same name—that sees Sait as antagonist Phara.
While the feeling of what she has accomplished is yet to fully sink in, Sait says the overpowering emotion is that of growth. “I am the same person I was four years ago. But I am surrounded by people who are rock-solid and root for me. Good work attracts the tribe that propels you to grow,” begins the actor, who is rubbing shoulders with Jared Harris and Lee Pace in the sci-fi series.
Casting for the David S Goyer and Josh Friedman-created series was an excruciating process.
The creators felt an Indian face would be the perfect choice for Phara. “At the end of the first audition, I saw Tess [Joseph, casting agent] smiling. Then came the second round of auditions, for which I was given heavy lines. They were spending so much time and resources on me I felt I had [bagged the part]. But after the audition, David told me, ‘You are good, but you don’t have it yet.’” It was 45 days before Sait was zeroed in, in February 2020.
Right before the world went into a lockdown, she shot for the series in Ireland. Playing “barbarian” Phara wasn’t easy. “Phara has been around such unkindness that she doesn’t care about consequences. I hope people will leave Cuckoo behind and remember Phara for a long time. It’s not just about being a brown-skinned actor setting milestones, but about enjoying the process of working. The series’ writing is intense.” Sait lauds the suits at Apple TV for making the show truly inclusive.
“Bollywood not long ago was about good guys, bad guys and pretty girls. But now, narratives have changed. [It’s similar] in the West too. It was incredible of David to have the most diverse-looking and speaking actors. Our set had Australian, Spanish and mixed-race actors, and I was there learning from everybody.”
It is incredible, when you get something based purely on merit, says Kubbra Sait on her international debut
7:51 AM
The actor talks about her international debut, says the journey was ‘excellent’
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 27, 2021)
Actor Kubbra Sait’s birthday this year just got more special, for she is set to make her international debut with Foundation. The teaser of the show dropped some time ago, and people back home in India have been curious about her brief appearance in it.
“This is my first interview where I’m like, ‘Hell yeah, this girl has gone to Hollywood!’ Otherwise, I was talking about it with the same excitement in my intimate circle. When I saw myself in the teaser, I just went like, ‘I am here’,” gushes Sait, who turns 37 today.
While she can’t divulge much about her character at this point, Sait says the journey and experience of shooting for the show, also starring Jared Harris and Lee Pace, was like a ‘school of a lifetime’.
The actor elaborates, “It is incredible, when you get something based purely on merit, not entirely crediting it to luck. Of course, luck played a very small part in it, for my casting agent to recognise that I may be able to do it, the creators seeing a brown person from the East, and thinking I may be able to play a character on screen in the West. Every audition of mine was progressively good. I think that whole journey put together was excellent.”
The Sacred Games actor was in Ireland and Canary Islands for months to shoot for the show. While there has been disappointment in the past about roles of Indian actors not turning out to be substantial enough despite the hype, she assures that one won’t be disappointed. “If you ask me do I have lines, I have loads. If that is what defines it, then yes, I have lines,” she adds.
As for her birthday, Sait says she has always been very excited for the day, and would count down from a month in advance. But, this time around, she’s a bit in control.
“I will have a really intimate brunch with my brother, coming from Bangalore along with his wife, and friends. Then, we’re going bowling in a new arcade that has opened in Bandra, Mumbai. I’ve not done that in 10 years. That’s what is fun; it isn’t defined by age or numbers,” she signs off.
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