Kritika Kamra on playing a cop in Gyarah Gyarah: ‘When you put on a police uniform, you feel a sense of responsibility’

Actress Kritika Kamra who was last seen in the Prime Video series Bambai Meri Jaan celebrates her birthday today (October 25). After playing a gangster in Bambai Meri Jaan, Kamra will be next seen playing a police officer in the series Gyarah Gyarah. The versatile actress chatted with Cine Blitz about her birthday plans, Bambai Meri Jaan, her upcoming show Gyarah Gyarah, her apparel brand, and her dream birthday dinner guest list.

How are you going to celebrate your birthday?

Kritika Kamra: It’s not a working birthday but it is going to be low-key. I don’t want to do anything big. I just want it to be another day. That’s the feeling that I have this year. I am planning to have dinner with my brother and some close ones.

Are you someone who makes resolutions on birthdays?

Kritika Kamra: I don’t make any resolutions on birthdays or New Year anymore because they don’t last. What I have learned over the years is that you have to be able to improvise. It’s a good thing for acting and life as well. Of course, I have ambitions. But there are so many factors that determine what you do and what your journey is going to be like. It’s best to be prepared for everything and just go with the flow.

Habiba Kadri in Bambai Meri Jaan was quite a demanding role for you. How did you unwind after playing such a character?

Kritika Kamra: The show was not shot in one go. We had breaks before we resumed shooting. So, finally, we finished shooting, there was a sense of relief as well as there was a sense of faint void. That is a very weird feeling for a character who is not a good person. You think, “Why am I missing this character?” What I realized was that I was really missing was the environment and just the process of shooting for it, spending time with fellow actors.

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I think I am able to detach from the character pretty well and soon enough. Filmmaking is an intimate experience and Bambai Meri Jaan also turned out to be very long. It is just the attachment and relationships of people that you have been with and had a collective experience. Like a common dream of the story coming to life. That ending affected me emotionally. For a few weeks, I would call up my fellow actors very often and we would be reminiscing about the experience. I also heard that there could be a second season and I am definitely coming back for it. So, I am really looking forward to that. But as a character, I was not able to get out of it easily.

After playing a gangster in Bambai Meri Jaan, you’ll be playing a police officer in Gyarah Gyarah. Does wearing a police uniform give you a sense of power?

Kritika Kamra: Honestly, there were certain scenes of Habiba in Bambai Meri Jaan that gave me a sense of power. Like sitting on that chair or the hospital sequence towards the end where she kills to protect the family. We can break it down morally and all that but in that moment it is about power. It could not be in a good way but that’s what you feel like you own this.

When you put on a police uniform, you feel a sense of responsibility and I have realized that because my posture changed, the way my gait changed, everything changes especially when you’re wearing the cap. When you are in the uniform and you salute and all that, it gives you a sense of responsibility and duty like no other. I think it is also because one has read and seen the law enforcers in this light. And you know the gravity of this job and the responsibility that comes with the job. I think the physical manifestation happens when you get into that uniform.

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At which stage is Gyarah Gyarah as we speak?

Kritika Kamra: We have finished shooting, in fact, we have finished dubbing also. We have also been fortunate to see the first cut of all the episodes. Some VFX work and music is going on. It is almost ready and we are just waiting to know when it comes out.

At this stage in your life and career, what are the things that you are looking forward to?

Kritika Kamra: There’s still a long way to go. I like what’s coming to me now. I like the things that I am reading and the choices that we have now. The choices have definitely expanded, particularly after Bambai Meri Jaan. I think that’s great.

I don’t really have a checklist because honestly, everything that has come my way has surprised me. The stuff happening on OTT is not formulaic. It is such fresh writing and so many new voices that it would be limiting to make a wish list of genres to do. Things have moved beyond that. So, I am just looking forward to seeing what’s coming my way.

The choices have expanded and now I am in a position where people have seen enough work and diversity in my filmography. I was surprised when I got a call for playing Habiba. But now, people see me as a girl-next-door as well as a glam social media influencer in Kaun Banegi Shikharwati. I have done a political drama like Tandav. In Hush Hush, I played a demure Punjabi girl fighting patriarchy in her house. These were conscious choices to showcase or to even explore and find out what I can do. It’s playing off now.

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Do you get time to watch films and series? Which films or shows that you watched recently and enjoyed?

Kritika Kamra: I am a content junkie. I am constantly watching things. I only struggle watching my own things. When I watch myself, I am not able to enjoy the show or film for what it is. I am self-critical like that.

But I watched a lot of stuff that’s being made. My favourite show this year has been The Bear on Disney+ Hotstar. I watched that show twice. It is incredible. The final season of Succession was a riveting watch. I really enjoyed Kohrra on Netflix. It was crafted well. I really enjoyed Jubilee. Since we are actors, it was all the more fascinating. I have of course watched Pathaan and Jawan this year and I can’t wait to watch Dunki. I am always watching something or the other. In fact, I cancel plans to watch things.

Tell me something about your apparel brand Cinnabar.

Kritika Kamra: It is a personal passion project. It comes from nostalgia. My hometown is 30 kilometers away from Chanderi. It is a small business that my mum and I run together. My mum has a collection of Chanderi sarees. So, I grew up admiring those. I also know what goes into the craft of handlooms because I have been to Chanderi many times and I have seen the weavers and their process. It is all handwoven. And it is also a craft that Madhya Pradesh is known for.

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A lot of these things tie back to my childhood and have a special place in my heart. It started off as a means of helping the weavers during the pandemic. When we went on a food drive to help them we realized that it was not enough we needed to give them a medium to earn income because their livelihood depends on this. I thought that maybe I should use my Instagram following to kind of introduce Chanderi sarees to people. That way they can learn about the weaves and weavers.

Helping the weavers get a fair and dignified income was the whole idea behind starting this. It has done really well and now the people also like it. Now, we also have a community of weavers from who we procure directly. It is a family-run business. My mum sources the sarees, she even does the packaging of every piece that goes out and ships it.

Lastly, which artists would you like to host for your dream birthday dinner?

Kritika Kamra: This is very tough to pick but let me think… I would really love to talk films with my favourite screenwriters and directors. I really enjoy listening to them.

I would like to host Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her partner Martin McDonagh… Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach… I am calling couples you see… so let’s have Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. I have to find my plus one yet and then it’s a very good dinner.