MUMBAI: Actor Kritika Kamra says her transition from a successful TV career to films and now the digital medium with "Tandav" is an attempt to keep evolving with time. The 32-year-old actor began her journey in 2007 and rose to fame with shows like "Kitani Mohabbat Hai", its sequel and "Kuch Toh Log Kahenge".
Kamra said that she started acting when she was just 18 and "jumped in the deep end" when she debuted with TV show "Yahaan Ke Hum Sikander". "Television is a tough medium to work in. I was quite young when I started doing this. So my taste, my goals and the things I want to do have taken shape while I was working," she said.
The actor made her Bollywood debut with director Nitin Kakkar's comedy "Mitron" in 2018 and is currently awaiting the release of "Tandav", an Amazon Prime Video series. "That's why there have been these shifts and I hope they're worth it. I hope 'Tandav' is a new beginning of these kind of projects for me because I really enjoyed being on the show," Kamra told PTI in an interview over Zoom.
Created and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the nine-part political drama features an ensemble cast headlined by Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kumud Mishra, and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub.
Though artistes often talk about how the digital medium has bridged the gap between films and the small screen, Kamra said she still faces "the TV bias". "I will not shy away from it. People keep saying that the gap is bridged, it's not the same anymore, but not in my personal experience. But it's ok. I insist on auditions. I am ok to go out there and prove myself as many times as required. Only if I'm good for the job, I should get it," she said.
"But there are certain stereotypes. People expect you to act in a certain way and it's not wrong - I see that on TV. I know why this notion exists, so I'm not even fighting that. I try to make choices that break that for me," she added.
Kamra's last fictional show, "Prem Ya Paheli - Chandrakanta", came out in 2017, post which the actor didn't take up too many projects. The actor said she is aware that because of the waiting game it took her a "little longer than it would take for somebody else", but she has no complaints.
"I've got those reactions from people about TV, but I'm also incredibly proud of the work I've done there. It gives me the financial and creative freedom to be in Mumbai and choose the work I want to do. So I have no complaints," the Bareilly-born Kamra said.
Set in Delhi, "Tandav" aims to take viewers inside the closed corridors of power and uncover the manipulations, charades as well as the dark secrets of people who will go to any lengths in its pursuit. On the show, Kamra plays Sana Mir, a Kashmir-born political science student with journalistic dreams.
The actor said her character has a wholesome journey on the series, with Mir undergoing a transformation. "Playing her (Sana), I understood a lot more about the struggles of somebody who comes with a difficult past. It'll be unfair to say I now know how it feels but you get a sense of how things can be difficult in a world where you're struggling and fighting," she said.
"It's a nicely fleshed out character. You don't get to see her entire back story -- which shapes up what she believes in and why she's the way we see her -- a lot of it is for you to understand. Ali is clear about what he wants," she added.
"Tandav" will hit the streaming platform on January 15.