Seven years after Kabir Singh became one of Bollywood’s most discussed films, Nikita Dutta still finds herself revisiting its impact. The actress, who played Jiya Sharma in the blockbuster which released on June 21, 2019, says the film continues to remain relevant, because conversations around it never seem to end.

Nikita says, “For me, it was a career-defining moment. After 2019, the way filmmakers looked at me and approached me changed completely. I give this film almost 99 percent of the credit for that.” 

Ironically, despite the success of the Telugu original Arjun Reddy, Nikita wasn’t convinced the Hindi remake would become such a phenomenon.

“I actually thought the opposite. We’ve seen films work brilliantly in the South and then not perform the same way in Hindi. So I didn’t expect Kabir Singh to become a hit. It taught me that sometimes you need to trust the filmmaker more than your own instincts.”

Talking about stepping into Jiya Sharma’s shoes, Nikita reveals, “Jiya was an actress, so in some ways I was just playing a subtler version of myself. Sandeep Reddy Vanga sir asked me to watch Arjun Reddy, and when I met him, all he wanted to know was whether I liked the film and the character. There were no lengthy discussions about character graphs or detailed preparation.”

Yet playing Jiya wasn’t as easy as it looked, largely because the character spoke so little. “When you don’t have dialogues, everything depends on your expressions. This was the first time I was trying that kind of subtle performance.”

The film’s success also left a lasting impact on her personally. “A big success changes you. It gave me confidence and self-belief. I suddenly felt there was something I was genuinely good at. That’s a very powerful feeling for an actor.”

Actress and fitness enthusiast Nikita Dutta recently took a spin along Mumbai’s new cycling marvel – the Worli Sea Face Track (a part of the 7.5-kilometre Mumbai Coastal Road Promenade). The track has sparked a fresh wave of enthusiasm among Mumbaikars, many of whom say it gives the city’s cycling culture a big boost.

Nikita, who posed exclusively for the BT lens, believes the new sea-facing cycling track has the potential to spark a larger movement toward fitness.

Nikita, who has travelled extensively for shoots and marathons, echoed a sentiment many Mumbaikars share. “Every time I’ve visited a country with a stretch like this by the sea for running and cycling, it’s always bothered me why Mumbai doesn’t have something similar. But finally, here we are. It’s so good to see this in my home city,” she said.

As Mumbai continues to wrestle with its daily traffic snarls and environmental stress, Nikita believes the answer might just lie in going back to two wheels. “If we can normalize cycling as a mainstream mode of transport, it could ease congestion. But for that, our roads still need to evolve to support it better.”

Known for her disciplined fitness regime and marathon medals, Nikita sees cycling as the perfect counterbalance to her running. “Cycling is the easiest form of movement when it comes to muscle and joint stress. On low-intensity days, I prefer to cycle — it gives me good zone 2 and zone 3 cardio, without the strain.” What truly draws her to cycling, though, is the sheer joy of movement and being outdoors. “I love that you can be outdoors, travel long distances, and breathe in the morning air, all while working out. That’s something no gym session can give you,” she said.

Does she ever use cycling or running to prep for roles? “Absolutely,” she nods. “I was doing a dance-based film at one point when I couldn’t run much since it was a contradictory physical movement. That’s when I cycled a little more as it’s easy on the joints. But otherwise, the process of getting into a role depends entirely on what the character and script demand. regardless of that, exercising regularly keeps me mentally motivated and charged to face the camera.”

For Nikita, fitness is as much about mental clarity as it is about physical health. “Cycling, or any form of exercise, releases endorphins. It's a mental reset on two wheels. But what I love most is the way it connects you with your city. I always feel any city is best lived when you are out on foot or a pedal. Going for a round of cycling in the morning and getting some fresh air is the best way to start a day mentally.”

With work often stretching long into the night, Nikita’s fitness routine is tailored but consistent. “I try to run and cycle once a week each, hit the gym three times a week for strength training, and squeeze in stretching or yoga on rest days. On shoot days, I grab whatever time I can for a convenient physical activity at any time during the day.

Worli Coastal Road! I’ve done hundreds of Marine Drive runs — this one’s new and exciting.

Morning. I’m an early riser.

It used to be Bandra to Haji Ali via Siddhivinayak. Now, it’s definitely the Coastal Road.

Don’t underestimate the power of a helmet.

Before your ride, warm up with dynamic stretches for the back, wrists, hamstrings, and calves. Cool down by stretching glutes, hamstrings, and back well.

Sunscreen on your arms and face is a must. Tie your hair neatly under the helmet to avoid frizz. And always carry a good lip balm — the wind can be harsh!

Last month, when Nikita Dutta featured in Ram Madhvani’s historical series The Waking Of A Nation, it satiated the actor in her. With her upcoming work, Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal’s heist thriller Jewel Thief—co-starring Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat—she is living her Bollywood dream: playing the classic heroine and drawing inspiration from all the stars she grew up watching. Ahead of the Netflix film’s release, in conversation with mid-day, Dutta reveals the joy of shooting for an out-and-out masala film, why she doesn’t compromise her individuality to become a commercial star, and her admiration for Jewel Thief co-star Khan’s actor-wife Kareena Kapoor Khan—who she believes is the last of the stars.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

We all know the hook steps of popular Bollywood numbers. It is what we all love [to do]. However much we say that cinema is real and great, which it is in parts, when you talk about the Bollywood that we have grown up to, [the realistic films] took away the filminess of it. So, it was exciting to be a part of that because I was getting to do what I have always [dreamed of doing]. The closet actor in all of us has somewhere enacted that in front of the mirror. I was told, ‘You aren’t a heroine until you have worn a saree in the snow.’ I am still waiting for that.

If we go back to our classic heroines, who are known for doing commercial cinema—from Sridevi, Madhuri [Dixit-Nene] to Aishwarya [Rai Bachchan]—I always look up to these actors and feel they tick all the boxes for me. If you see, none of them were trying to be like each other. They all had their own personality. And that’s what made them [so popular]. Or if you look at Kareena Kapoor [Khan], she is the last in the league. I have no one else in mind, who looks good, dances great and has these fabulous expressions.

What I am trying to do right now, irrespective of Jewel Thief, is not follow a trend or get into the zone where everyone is blindly getting into the plastic world and looking like clones of each other. I am trying to stay true to what I saw growing up, which is to have your own personality, but at the same time try to adapt to what a particular film or story demands.

Somewhere, when OTT picked up, there was a boom that happened and there was an abundance of work. So, we got used to that but now everyone, including makers, has become cautious. People have more options, so they pick and choose and they aren’t ready to watch anything or everything. So many changes have happened—OTT platforms merging, and the numbers of a film getting affected because it has come directly to OTT. I wouldn’t say that work has slowed down but there’s a lot of processing. We are going through a change, where makers are trying to see what will and will not work. So, experiments are bound to happen.

Irrespective of anything, you get offered things and you just have to choose the best from what you get. That’s an ongoing process.

Nikita Dutta has been a history buff since childhood. So, when Ram Madhvani’s The Waking Of A Nation came her way, she knew she had to be part of it. Even when the filmmaker mentioned the ‘no grooming clause’ for the character, she agreed without hesitation. The Waking Of A Nation revolves around the Hunter Commission, which is an investigation of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The actor, who previously starred in Ek Duje Ke Vaaste (2016), Gold (2018), Kabir Singh (2019), The Big Bull (2021), and Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022), among other things, discusses the privilege of working in a Madhvani show and why it features one of the “strongest characters” she has ever played. Edited excerpts from the interview.

I was called for this show while attending yoga school. I had to audition over the phone, which I had always believed never worked because there was no brief. I initially resisted, as the scene was one of the toughest in the show. But they insisted, so I recorded it without much thought. A week later, they called me. When I visited the office, Ram sir explained his 360-degree shooting style—no rehearsals, no lighting, no marks. He also asked if I was okay giving up vanity completely for the 1919 setting. I immediately agreed. I completed my yoga school and was vacationing in the Maldives when I got the call welcoming me on board.

When we started workshops, I realized how much vanity I had to abandon. While I had no issue with it, living without waxing or make-up for three months was more challenging than expected. However, in front of the camera or during workshops, I felt free and liberated. It gave me a new sense of independence and allowed me to experiment.

The workshops focused on two aspects: getting comfortable with the 360-degree shooting style and understanding the period’s [nuances]. We did extensive improvisations and worked on speech and reactions from that era. So they made us go through many workshops. That’s why we were able to pull it off.  We were properly cooked by the time we came on set.

I, of course, have read about it because I am quite a history buff. The period of India’s independence struggle is something I’ve always been very fascinated with. What I did realize is that there are a lot of people who don’t know about this chapter of history. Of course, we all know about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, but we do not know what happened before and after it. The Waking Of A Nation is inspired by all those historical events, while we have also fictionalized it a bit. I remember Ram sir had gifted us a book when we just started with our workshops and it had a lot of first-hand testimonies of people who have been a victim or have lost their relatives in the massacre. That was hard-hitting.

In the show, I run a printing press with my friend Albaksh [played by Sahil Mehta]. We shot in an actual 1919 printing press with fully functional machines. Witnessing how newspapers were printed—like small alphabets are put together on a slate and how an article comes together and the amount of strength you had to apply on it to print—was fascinating.

I think he’s one of the finest filmmakers I have worked with. He is one of the nicest persons apart from being a great filmmaker. There is, of course, his process of shooting, which is widely discussed, but there is so much more than that. Not many filmmakers give a lot of substance and priority to their women characters, but if you see his body of work—from Neerja [2016] to Aarya—you will see the women playing [strong characters]. You don’t just see Sonam [Kapoor], but also notice Shabana [Azmi] ma’am’s character standing out. He says he gets his inspiration from the women around him because he’s surrounded by strong women, from his wife to his mother. That reflects not just in front of the camera, but even off it. This entire show has been shot by four women cinematographers. They have been holding those heavy cameras on their shoulders and shooting. There is no concept of trolleys in his world of filmmaking. He took care of all the basics on set, even crew members. He made sure we had clean toilets exclusively for the women in all sorts of locations that we’ve shot.

She is a strong, bold, and fierce woman—not in the stereotypical loud Punjabi way. He’s chosen to show me as a woman who has a voice, who worked back in the day, and as someone who can take control of situations within her capabilities. As an actor, it’s not every day that you get to play characters like this. It has been a privilege to be part of his filmmaking world. This is probably one of the strongest characters I’ve portrayed on screen in my life.

Kabir Singh actor Nikita Dutta admits that prior to her exposure to nutrition science as part of her participation in the Miss India beauty pageant in 2012, her approach to designing a wellness routine was cursory.

“It was then that I learned how to structure a diet, and the importance of its various components. Because I was always struggling to stay in shape to look a certain way, I really got into it. Since then, I have been learning about wellness [intricately],” she reveals, acknowledging that while not entirely true, people’s perception of the exhaustive physical demands placed on models is not entirely misplaced either.

“There are people who take the short cut to achieve what they want. At the end of it, everybody tries to do what works for them. I remember being constantly told that I was the heaviest contestant. We [would be] made to stand in a line, and I was always told that my legs were looking big, and that I needed to exercise. At the age of 20, such comments [affected] me. I started working out way too much, and, believing that I was doing the right thing, forced my body to pull off far too much. Behind the ramp, there is a lot that [goes] on. To constantly go through this was a bit traumatic.”

While consuming “portions that were the bare minimum”, and adhering to a diet that was devoid of carbs and sugar, Dutta would execute cardiovascular bouts and focus on core exercises to “get that flat stomach and visible abs”. “But I knew I couldn’t continue this for long. That’s also why I never took to ramp [modelling]. I moved to acting, and anchoring since I realized this wasn’t meant for me. I cannot be the person who adopts bad habits to look a certain way.”

The muscle soreness that resulted from her cardio bouts drew her to calming activities like yoga, which redefined her fitness journey. “The flexibility that I have developed is only one part of it. I am able to deal with situations better, and have been able to address a nasal congestion I have had for several years. If I have to describe my fitness journey, I would say yoga and running are the two constants. I also weight-train, and love to cycle outdoors. Once in a way, I’ll head to a kick-boxing class, and ever since I did a dance-based film, I’ve developed a love for the art form.”

Having begun her running sessions with two-kilometre-long bouts, Dutta progressed to executing 10-kilometre runs. A spontaneous decision to participate in a half marathon (21 kilometres) opened new doors for her. Having been able to pull off the distance at the first attempt, Dutta began to make frequent appearances at similar events.

“I’ve realized that strength training and functional activities are responsible for shaping you in such a way that you can pull off long-distance running sessions. Endurance running is a mind game, but a lot has to do with your lifestyle as well. Small changes, when practiced for years, can help you pull off something like that. Also, in endurance running, it’s important to remember that if you try to compete with another runner, you won’t go too far. You have to approach it patiently, and follow your pace.”

No longer a fan of low-carb diets, Dutta has often spoken about the need to pick meals wisely. “Good carbs, like rice and chapati help you build strength and stamina. I’m not a fan of protein shakes, but ever-so-often if I get a call from my mom telling me I cannot consume non-vegetarian food on a given day for [religious] reasons, I will have it. Also, I used to make the mistake of not giving due attention to the consumption of good fats like oils and nuts. That’s something I’ll never do again.”

Actress Nikita Dutta wants to tell people to be careful when walking on the road while talking or texting on their phones after what she went through recently. The actress was texting on her phone when she was out for a walk in Bandra on November 28 at around 7.45 pm when two men on a bike snatched her phone. She tried chasing them, but they fled. Nikita has filed a complaint at the Bandra Police Station.

She says, “I was walking on a busy road when two men came on a bike, tapped me on my head, snatched the phone from my hand, and before I could react, they fled on their bike. I managed to chase them a bit, but I could not match up with the speed of the bike.”

Nikita says that the incident has shaken her up. She says, “When I reached home, I was in a state of shock. A day later, I registered a complaint. Through a tracking app, I got to know that my phone was switched on, which meant that they had already sold it. I have got a new SIM card, but my phone has a lot of important files, which can be misused. It was also a big pinch to my pocket because the phone was very expensive, and I had bought it a few months back.”

Nikita says she has learnt her lesson. “One should never text or talk on the phone when you are on the move unless it is urgent. I am thankful that I wasn’t hurt. I hope I am able to get my phone back,” says the actress who has acted in the movie Kabir Singh and has also been a part of TV and web shows.

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Actor Nikita Dutta, in an infortunate incident, lost her phone last Sunday, when a pair of bikers mugged her. “It was quite traumatic,” recalls Dutta, adding, “That night, I didn’t sleep at all. I had a panic attack the moment it happened.”

She says that two riders on a bike tapped her from behind. When Dutta got disoriented, the pillion snatched the phone from her hand and rode away.

Late that night, she rushed to the police station and completed all formalities necessary, so that the culprits can be nabbed. “We went through the CCTV cameras but couldn’t find anything useful. I’ve lost hope now,” says the Kabir Singh (2019) actor a bit disappointed.

The incident took place at 8 pm when she was walking to a nearby restaurant. It has left her traumatised. “I’m scared to step out and go for a walk. I hope I can overcome this fear because these are the things I enjoy doing. At the moment, I’m not comfortable going out, I don’t think I have the courage,” she says.

The 28-year-old shared her ordeal on social media and received huge support from the fraternity.

“I’m trying to forget the episode like a bad nightmare. However, one thing I’d like to say to everyone is that do not text when you are on the road,” the Dybbuk actor concludes.

Nikita Dutta, who was seen playing actress Jia Sharma in Shahid Kapoor-starrer Kabir Singh and in the MX Player web series Aafat, was all set to get her mother to fly down from Delhi to Mumbai for the screening of her upcoming film, which will release on an OTT platform. However, her plans went for a toss as she tested positive for Coronavirus and her mother, too, fell sick.

Nikita contracted the virus while shooting for the dance movie Rocket Gang with actor Aditya Seal in Mumbai. The film marks the directorial debut of choreographer Bosco Martis. Talking exclusively to Bombay Times, Nikita says, “It’s unfortunate and frustrating, but acting teaches you to be patient. We have been trying to shoot the film since 2019, but we had to halt the schedule due to the pandemic. We resumed the shoot in December last year, but Bosco was detected with COVID; later, Aditya tested positive, and now, it’s me. I have been asked to quarantine at home for 10 days and take a test again.”

Nikita adds, “It’s difficult to maintain social distance while shooting certain scenes, and actors cannot wear a mask when the shot is on. Our safety rests on the shoulders of the crew. Safety precautions like using sanitisers, masks and temperature checks are in place, but people are still contracting the virus. We cannot move the shoot to another city either as our set has been constructed in Mira Road and change in venue for a third schedule is logistically impossible.”

What made things more difficult for Nikita was her mother’s illness that coincided with her contracting the virus. “My mother had to be rushed to the ICU due to some complications. Luckily, it wasn’t because of COVID. I was about to fly to Delhi to see her, but I couldn’t as I tested positive for COVID-19.”