Actor Kritika Kamra has come a long way since her TV days. Over the past few years, she has worked in some of the most talked-about web series and films, while carving a niche for herself in the OTT space. As her new show, Matka King, gears up for release, Kritika talks to Hindustan Times about the show, working with director Nagraj Manjule, and the landscape for female characters in Indian stories.
Kritika Kamra on discovering the world of matka
Matka King is a fictional story that is inspired by real-life matka barons of Mumbai (then Bombay) – Ratan Khatri and Kalyanji Bhagat. But the show talks about the rise of Brij Bhatti, a fictional matka king, played by Vijay Varma. Talking about her introduction to this world, Kritika says, “The world is fascinating. I did not know about matka, before I was offered the show. I did my research. I did not know about this because I didn’t grow up in Bombay, and it was fascinating. I usually judge things by seeing if I’m interested as an audience, then I feel that there will be more people like me who would also be interested in it.”
The show has been directed by National Award winner Nagraj Manjule, making his long-form debut. “He’s been on every actor’s wish list,” says Kritika, emphasising that the filmmaker is one of the reasons she signed on. “Consciously, over the last few years, I’ve been trying to work with filmmakers really known for their craft because I think that’s how I am going to become better at what I do.”
In Matka King, Kritika plays Gulrukh Dibash, a young Parsi widow from south Bombay who becomes Brij’s unlikely partner in crime. “I really found Gulrukh very fascinating,” the actor says, “I like that this character had something to do with the plot. While she has her own journey and her chemistry with Vijay, she’s also a really pivotal part of how the game rises in Bombay. I’m constantly looking for female characters that drive the narrative forward. And they’re hard to come by. Even now, even after so much has happened and we’re all happy with how things are going on OTT, I still feel there aren’t many (female) characters who truly move the story forward.”
‘It’s about playing the riskier bets’
Matka King is all about placing your bets, and Kritika believes that is something she can relate to, in her life, particularly her choice of roles and projects. “Sometimes, it’s about playing the riskier bets. I am just not waiting for any one thing to break out and change my life. I have never waited for that. I am constantly placing bets, and I know I will also lose, but I just want to leave the house winning. So I’m just playing the long game. Of course, when something doesn’t work out, it obviously feels really bad. All rejection feels very personal. But I’ve been in it long enough to know that there’s always something else waiting. And as long as the process is democratic and I get a shot at it, I’m fine,” she explains.
But is the process always democratic? Kritika admits that it is better than ‘how it used to be’ with casting run more professionally. And she is prepared to wait for the right roles. She expands, “There are filmmakers, and I wait for them, like Nagraj Manjule. I tested for the show twice. He was not convinced the first time, and I completely understand. Even I wouldn’t be, if you told me to play a Parsi character. I’m sure everybody would want to then cast someone closer to it. So I worked on it, and I tested again.”
The 37-year-old admits that this makes her seem more selective, particularly in the eyes of the so-called commercial cinema. But it is something she has made her peace with. Kritika adds, “It becomes slightly more difficult because I have to wait for directors who really go through the process while casting. So, a lot of the probably more commercial stuff may not come my way. But I’m happy because I’m getting to work with filmmakers whose filmography I’m a fan of.”
Matka King releases on Amazon Prime Video on April 17.
