Bambai Meri Jaan actor Kritika Kamra: ‘My only attempt was to not judge my character and not justify her actions’

Kritika Kamra; (right) in a still from the Amzon Prime Video web-series 'Bambai Meri Jaan'.

A few days earlier, Bambai Meri Jaan became the first Indian Web-series to have an international premiere. The crime thriller on Amazon Prime Video is based on S Hussain Zaidi’s book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia and has been directed by Shujaat Saudagar. It features a talented ensemble cast including Kay Kay Menon, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Avinash Tiwary and Kritika Kamra, who has nailed her performance as the female gangster Habiba. Starting her career with television, Kamra who hails from Bareilly, made her Bollywood debut with Mitron in 2018 and has also acted in a couple of web-series.

In an interview to Moneycontrol, she speaks about her experience of being a part of Bambai Meri Jaan and the challenges of playing a character for which she had no reference points. Edited excerpts:

This is the first Indian series to have an international premiere. How was the experience?

It was absolutely amazing to represent a show that has been so close to my heart for a very long time. To know that the creators thought that this was the series that could cross over and that kind of faith and support from Prime Video and Excel Entertainment in their product was special. We are constantly consuming content from all over the world, so it’s amazing that the world can also watch something that is rooted in India but is also of international quality. That is really heartening and of course, the reactions we got from the international media was also very encouraging. It is one of those experiences I will always remember.

What do you think this means for Indian content in the larger context?

The world is becoming a smaller place, especially after the pandemic and with internationally-acclaimed projects such as RRR and The Elephant Whisperers, people are looking to India to see what comes out in the content space. Before Bambai Meri Jaan, nothing from the series space has been showcased at this level but this is an effort to open that door to Indian web-series as well. I think it is a great opportunity for all talent, that people from any part of the world can watch our work without barriers of distance, language or demographics. Potentially, the next Narcos or Money Heist could be from India.

What was your reaction when you received a call for Habiba’s role and what made you greenlight it?

The show chose me. I was called in for an audition by casting director Anmol Ahuja of Casting Bay. I have tested with them earlier but I was quite surprised that they thought of me for a part like this. Nobody has seen me play a part like this and even I didn’t know if I could really pull it off. But that’s the thing about casting today. It has become so streamlined and one gets a fair chance, at least for web-series where there are multiple decision makers. They test people and that also gives you an opportunity to test yourself and go out there and do something you have never done before. As for the script, it blew my mind. I was fascinated by the world they had created.

Kritika Kamra in a still from Bambai Meri Jaan.

Tell us a bit more about Habiba and playing a female gangster.

There was not much reference for her and I have not seen a woman in that space before which gave me an opportunity to explore and make a character of my own without influence of any such characters in cinema. Most of it was in the script which was the thickest script I have ever got. The creators have been working on this show for almost five years and the research was extensive. It was based on Hussain Zaidi’s book who happens to know a lot of real characters like these. Then it becomes easy because there is reportage as research and not just a fictional story. It gives one an insight into the world. Acting is doing, so once you start performing you find the note somewhere on the way. Prior to that, my only attempt was to not judge the character and also to not justify her actions. She didn’t have to be relatable. There were certain bits about her as a daughter, a sister and a fearless woman who has agency and those are things I could draw from my own personality or experience. For everything else, you have to use your imagination and be true in the moment. There was technical prep required, especially for me because I am not from Mumbai and the dialect was alien to me. The body language, how she sits, how she walks and carries herself was also important and very different from who I am in real life. These are things we could only build when we started performing. It was an ongoing process which went on till the very last day of the shoot.

Your co-stars Kay Kay Menon, Nivedita Bhattacharya and Avinash Tiwari are brilliant actors. How was it to prepare with them?

When everybody around you is so good you don’t have scope to fail. Everybody brings their A game and so you bring yours. Acting is doing and a lot of give and take. They are not just brilliant actors but also very giving actors. Kay Kay sir is a school in himself and even Nivedita — they come with so much prep and experience. Avinash is an actor I admire. Just having them around lifts the scene and you also become good because you are reacting to talented actors.

Kritika Kamra as gangster Habiba in a still from Bambai Meri Jaan.

There was a time when television actors were looked down upon for attempting to be in films. Do you think that scenario still exists or are things getting better? 

The prejudice still exists to some extent but people just don’t talk about it as much. It has changed for certain people and you have seen them break out but those people, including myself, have been at it for a very long time. That tag is no longer associated with me and people see me as an actor now. They know if I will be good for a job or not but that has only happened after I have proved myself again and again through auditions and through my work on OTT. But that basic distinction still exists.

Next up for you is Karan Johar and Guneet Monga’s maiden OTT collaboration Gyarah Gyarah and For Your Eyes Only with Pratik Gandhi. What is exciting about these shows?

These are parts that are very different from what I have done, which is a conscious effort that I make. In Gyarah Gyarah, I play a cop, so from a gangster to a cop has been quite a journey. I now get to be an upright, good person, delivering justice and going after the bad guys. For Your Eyes Only is a big scale production with an immersive story and an exciting ensemble cast. The most exciting thing about these two projects is the people involved in them. I am trying to work with people I can learn from and grow as an artist. Filmmaking is really time consuming and it matters who you work with.