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).

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; March 18, 2018)

Nimrat Kaur could well be defined in one word: unconventional. Few would know that this Punjabi girl grew up on a heavy dose of commercial entertainers and fancied dancing like Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit. Ironically, serious roles like the ones in the American shows Homeland and Wayward Pines and in films like The Lunchbox and Airlift, threw the spotlight on her acting talent. For now, her dancing skills have been brushed under the carpet. Yet, she’s not one to live with a compromise. She’s fierce and outgoing, but in moderation. In conversation with BT, Nimrat speaks about her search for stimulating roles and what feminism and gender equality mean to her. Excerpts:

Airlift was a success, but you didn’t follow it up with a mainstream Hindi film. Why?
After Airlift, I took up Wayward Pines, which was a leap of faith for me. After I shot that, I realised that it takes time to re-plug into the system back here in India. I embrace that because that’s a price you pay for not being on the scene temporarily. Then I took up a project, which we stopped shooting midway because of some unforeseen reasons. Eventually, it took the entire year to complete that. It threw my other work plans off track. I went through a lot of ups and downs and at times, I even slipped into self-doubt, but things are fine now.

Often, being out there on the socializing network translates into better opportunities for work. How often have you been tempted or advised to do so?
Advised? Yes. Tempted? Never! I can’t do it, it exhausts me. It’s important to put yourself out there, but I don’t think everyone who does it has a job and vice versa. It’s like social media… Some celebrities don’t want to be out there because they don’t see the need to sing songs about their private life. Besides, I don’t have much to contribute to gatherings. I don’t drink much and I am a bit of an early bird. I usually don’t know what to do at a party. If you are intoxicated, it’s fine. There are times when I drink water and pretend its vodka… I have tried blending in, but after a point, it’s very confusing. Half the time, I’m thinking at the back of my mind that the person I’m interacting with should not feel that I am hankering for work just because I’m holding a conversation. I don’t want to be misunderstood.

You’ve steered clear of the usual commercial fare. Is unconventional the right word to describe your career choices?
I didn’t come to Mumbai to become a star or a heroine. I don’t think I knew enough to even want that. I did B.Com Honors before coming here. I’ve been through several rounds of auditions. What I know today is because of a lot of research. I learnt how to read scenes and dialogues and what to make of a script while I was at work. For me, being in showbiz is a life-long PhD. I feel like I’m always studying and giving exams, and I choose the ones that interest me more. I don’t have this means-to-an-end kind of mentality. This is my life and I chose to do this because I wanted to do only this and nothing else. I choose stories that stimulate my mind. The show, the razzmatazz is very entertaining and I love it, but it doesn’t define the profession for me. I enjoy it for the people I get to meet, the emotions I experience and the strange mental situations I go through while playing parts. It’s a different sort of a hunt for me. If I don’t take risks, it’ll be a shame. If I don’t do something that lets me be elsewhere, then what’s the purpose of being an actor? When I did Homeland, a lot of people asked me, ‘Why TV?’ They clearly don’t get it. They don’t understand the canvas a project can have. Homeland gave my career an edge. I don’t know if another project here could have done the same. And honestly, in India, your talent is appreciated more once the West recognizes it. Otherwise, it’s ghar ki murgi daal barabar. Look at Irrfan.

For people in India, it’s sometimes difficult to gauge what really happens in the West. There’s limited access to that industry. What’s their current perception of Bollywood?
Bollywood is colours and vibrant songs for them. They think we are a big, Broadway show and I don’t blame them for it because that is a picture we have proudly put out for the world. Music and dance is a part of our film culture, and we celebrate it. I’m proud of it, too. Indian films have their roots in the nautanki format, which I learnt while doing theatre. Lip-synced songs aren’t as common in world cinema as they are in India. At the same time, Hollywood has woken up to the fact that South Asians are a big part of the movie-watching world and the talent pool of their artistes is growing faster than ever. That is one of the reasons why Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan are embraced by the West and are cast in extremely believable characters that don’t necessarily play on their nationality. They have recognized that we are the largest industry, loaded with competent actors. How many of our actors really fit into Hollywood is a different story.

Are Bollywood actors open to the idea of screen-testing in the West, because it’s not a regular practice here?
You don’t get to know when people from here give screen tests for a role in the West, because they are fearful of being judged. Some of them actually see auditions as an act of reducing their stock value in the domestic market. They perceive it as a process meant only for amateurs. With auditioning, they feel they’re relegating their status. We’re not cast in films on the basis of our capability alone. I’m not saying auditions don’t happen here, but casting is more of a decision based on likes, looks, pairing and the math of the business. Given a chance, everyone would like to diversify. I wouldn’t take names, but a lot of our actors do audition for roles in the West. Everyone wants to give it a shot, but they’ll do it only if they know they can swing it and won’t end up making an ass of themselves.

There was a time when a thinking woman was not an entity that a male-dominated industry was ready to accept; that seems to have changed to a large degree.
(Cuts in…) I ask this question to myself all the time. While we have all this talk around feminism, are all the women just so capable and competent, and are they always denied? I have seen incompetent women who want to take advantage of their gender and get credit for things that they haven’t quite done. Women often fail to understand that gender has nothing to do with their voices being heard or credit being given to them. Twinkle Khanna was an actor who became a homemaker, a mother, a writer and is now a movie-maker. If you have the capability and a distinct voice, it will be heard irrespective. Smaller cities that lack basics and don’t allow women their share of freedom are a separate issue. In urban India, if you are capable, you will most likely get your due. I don’t come from a place where I think that I should get importance because I am a woman. I don’t like people being unfair to a man or to a woman because of their gender or the fact that they can’t speak decent English. Prejudice doesn’t come with gender alone, but I guess it’s fashionable to talk about one kind of prejudice.

Often, women do go through a lot of difficulties before their voice gets heard…
It’s always going to be tougher for girls. We are required to look after the home and the kids essentially because that’s the social design we live with. We are here doing that while having a career, which makes it hard to achieve a balance. It’s a challenge we put ourselves through because we are girls. I don’t have any delusions of living in an equal society because the world and the society are imbalanced, especially in India. We come from a different mind-set. Women have to work harder at a job than a man and I accept that, but I also feel that if you are capable, you’ll get there. For instance, someone like Ekta Kapoor stands apart as a force of nature because she is a woman. I don’t know if I would pay as much attention to her if she were a man. I look up to her as an icon because she’s a woman who has toiled against the forces to create a kingdom of her own.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 28, 2016)

Going by its total area, Canada is the world's second largest country and ranks fourth by land area. Its border with the United States is the world's longest land border.It's capital city is Ottawa with Toronto being the largest metropolis and Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg and Hamilton the other major urban centres. Winters are cold to severely cold, but the areas down South are warm in summer. Nimrat Kaur who spent five months in the North American country for the international series, Wayward Pines, from March 2 till August gives us an insider's account:

CLOCKING TIME IN VANCOUVER

I had rented a house at Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver and didn't travel much initially except for weekends, but gradually made the most of my stay in the country.

Vancouver is a rather conservative town, shuts shop around 9, apart for a few streets where you can go for a late night dinner or a party. My favourite hang-out spot was Mosquito, a popular dessert and champagne restaurant. I went to party a couple of times, once to the Celebrities Nightclub where Nora En Pure, a South African-Swiss DJ, introduced me to house music. I'm hooked now.

I often went cycling and would frequently visit Kitsilano, a neighbourhood in Vancouver, to practice meditation. I also went up the Grouse Mountain around four-five times. It's a difficult workout as one has to go uphill, again and again, and outdo your timing each time. My best timing was 50 minutes. The steam clock at Gastown, a national historic site in Vancouver, is another tourist attraction. It emits steam every 15 minutes and is very interesting.

It was rainy and cold in Canada when I got there and we would sometimes shoot as early as 4 am. It took some time to get used to the weather and the early start, but once I did, I had a blast.


OF BEARS AND BARS

One of the fondest memories is visiting the Tulip Fields in Abbotsford city, popular for their annual Tulip festival. I was spellbound by its picture postcard beauty and the flowers. It was my Silsila moment! I explored my adventurous side at Whistler, a high-end skiing town, approximately 125 km north of Vancouver. Even though I didn't know how to ski, I went on a bear trail through the jungle. It's a guided tour by conservationist Michael Allen who has been dealing with wild black bears for 30 years now and shared some great anecdotes. June is mating season and also the time when the bears are preparing for hibernation. I clicked many pictures and even made videos of my incredible experience in the jungle.

When in Whistler, I also went to this amazing vodka bar called Barefoot Bistro, which promises an ice room experience. Temperature inside is minus 40 degree Celsius and I was dressed in layers of warm clothing, similar to what people wear in igloos. Still, it was difficult to be inside for even five minutes, it was so unbearably cold. I gulped down four shots of vodka, but that didn't help much as the body usually sucks up all the heat in that kind of a temperature. Even my eyelashes had flecks of ice when I stepped out.


OF GONDOLA RIDES IN THE MOUNTAINS

I then took a ride in the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, a tri-cable gondola lift that links Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Restaurant. It's the first lift to join the two side-by-side Mountains.

I tried the superfly zip lining which is crazy! I have a fear of heights and at one point mid-way on the rope I thought I was going to die. But I carried on and had a great time eventually.

Swimming in the Cheakamus Lake was another highlight. It was one of my last destinations on the trek and my assistant, Madison, challenged me to swim in the lake with the temperature a freezing four degree Celsius. It's a Canadian thing they do every year on January 1 and is called a polar bear swim. It was icy but a lot of fun. It took me two hours to warm up.

ICE, ICE, BABY!

Another important thing to do in Whistler is visit the Cows, a merchandise shop-cum-ice cream parlour with some wonderful flavours. I chose mint and chocolate ice.

I was in Toronto to visit my cousin and loved the city with its large markets, open air concerts and interesting restaurants.I enjoy Canadian food, which is a combo of world cuisines. I experimented with Sushi, Oysters and Salmon. The seafood is to die for! Even their veggies and fruits are really fresh. I used to cook my own breakfast sometimes, but mostly I would go out and binge. Sometimes my friends cooked for me. The technicians on Wayward Pines were sweet, honest and extremely professional. So are the locals who'd walk up to me for pictures and compliment me on my work in Homeland, The Lunchbox and Airlift, which had just released.

I didn't shop much as there isn't anything specific one can buy from Canada. My most favourite buy was Maple syrup. I also shopped for clothes, including Lululemon which is my favourite sports brand in Vancouver. I can't wait to visit the country again.

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