Dabba Cartel actor Nimisha Sajayan on landing the role Mala: ‘I still go for auditions, it has been eight years…’ | Exclusive interview

Nimisha Sajayan, who made a confident debut in Malayalam with Fahadh Faasil’s Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum in 2017, has been expanding her filmography with interesting projects. The young actress, who carved a niche for herself in South cinema with critically acclaimed movies such as The Great Indian Kitchen, is currently winning accolades for her performance as Mala in the Hindi web series Dabba Cartel on Netflix.

In an exclusive and candid interview with OTTplay, Nimisha breaks down her character Mala in Dabba Cartel, how she still goes for auditions even after several years in the industry and the eagerness to explore more characters, irrespective of the language. Excerpts from Nimisha Sajayan interview.

Your latest series Dabba Cartel is winning good reviews. How was your experience of working with the stellar cast of Dabba cartel that included the veteran Shabana Azmi, and south star Jyotika.

Amazing experience! As an actor, it has always been my dream to work with Shabana Azmi. Getting to work with her is really huge. It is like how they say, we go to an institution and learn. Despite her seniority, she was very fun to work with. Also, Jyotika chechi, it was a really good experience, sharing the screen space with her.

Also read - Dabba Cartel Review: Shabana Azmi and crew lay the ground for 'Narcos Thane' with dazzling flair 

Your character Mala and Jyotika’s character Varuna are always at loggerheads in the series. But off screen, you guys have a good rapport. So how was it working with her?

That’s the beauty, right? I am so close to Jyo chechi. When they call cut, I spend more time, sitting with her and chatting. But when they call action again, we are back to fighting before the camera. And I think if we get that comfort space from an actor, we can enhance the scene a bit more. And I had that with Jyotika chechi. It was a real pleasure.

You are a Malayali who grew up in Mumbai. So how has that helped you get into the skin of your character Mala in Dabba Cartel?

I think Poacher was also partly Hindi after the initial episodes. I am very fluent in Hindi, it is my comfort language. I was born and brought up there. Whether it is the place or the characters, those are not new to me. I got a lot of joy, going there and acting in a Hindi series.

Your name in both series - Poacher and Dabba Cartel - is Mala. That’s quite a coincidence. In Poacher, you play a forest range officer, while your character in Dabba Cartel is on the opposite side of the law. How did you approach these two roles?

Yes, Mala is very lucky for me (laughs). She is my series’ lucky charm. If you look at Mala in Poacher, she is a very serious character. But Mala in Daba Cartel, she is a quirky, fun person.

I don’t know if it was challenging or not to me, but I had fun playing both the characters. In Poacher, when you talk to forest officers, you realise the intensity of the issue. But in Dabba cartel, it was a different world of these five women. So the approach to that was different and I enjoyed both the processes.

In Dabba Cartel, you have five main characters played by women and who also own bulk of the screen time. So, how was it working with a predominantly women or almost an all-women cast?

When I read the script, I was like it is about five bada** women, strong women and all five get their space to perform. That was the beauty of the script. You don’t get that often. I so badly wanted to be a part of Dabba Cartel. I did not have a reason to say no to the series. 

Even on the set, 80 per cent of the people were women, even behind the camera. Wherever you turned to, you would see women. Whether it was the assistant directors, in the art department, makeup, or production. I could feel that there was mutual respect. Our director (Hitesh Bhatia), the way he approached each and every actor was also very amazing. At times, you need directors like him.

In one of your previous interviews, you said your takeaway from Poacher was that it made you more aware of how interdependent humans are on wildlife. What is your takeaway from Dabba Cartel?

In Dabba Cartel, there is this particular scene when Mala tells Varuna that everyone respects you and what is missing in your life? Varuna asks what is the value in getting respect from outside, when you are not respected at home? That dialogue by Jyotika chechi has stayed with me. I have seen this for real too. Women might be getting respect in the workspace, but are they getting that respect at home? Even while doing that scene, I said that it would stay with me. Sometimes it is not about the whole series or film, or even your character. Here, I learned from Varuna’s character.

Any updates about season 2 of Dabba Cartel?

I don’t know about that.

Going back to your first series Poacher. You worked with director Richie Mehta and Bollywood star Alia Bhatt also came on board as an executive producer. So how was the experience?

Poacher was a very different experience since it was my first time working in a series. Series is like 8 hours long and you will have to travel with the character for like 4-5 months altogether. Movies you might finish in 1 or 2 months. When you travel with a character for that long, it stays with you. Mala in poacher was very special. She was very sensitive, but she was strong. And I was a huge fan of Richie Mehta ever since I watched Delhi Crime. When he came with the script, I was like yes. As an actor, there are directors you would like to work with and he was one of them. Because of Alia, the project got bigger.

One of your most acclaimed films is The Great Indian Kitchen. Now, its Hindi remake Mrs has sparked a bigger round of debates. Did you get a chance to see Sanya Malhotra’s Mrs? Your comments?

I have been busy with shoots, so I haven’t had a chance to see it. I even deactivate Insta during shoot, and now I am back on social media just for the promotions. I miss a lot of things like that.

Your last Malayalam releases were in 2023 - Adrishya Jalakangal and Thuramukham. The same year saw your Tamil debut in Chithha and Jigarthanda DoubleX, both of which were critically acclaimed. There seems to be a long gap since your last Malayalam films.

Cinema is cinema. As an actor, I want to keep working - whether it is in Malayalam, Tamil or Hindi. I believe that my films have worked, so I am quite happy. I get to explore new things - the character in Jigarthanda was very different for me, something I have not tried in Malayalam; even for that matter, Dabba Cartel too. So wherever I am getting good roles, I will work there. Chithha was my first Tamil project. It was not about the character, but the scripting. I knew Chithha would stay with people. I knew that I had to do this and it should reach the people. And I got to work with Arun Kumar, one of the best directors I have worked with.

Is working in different languages a challenge you would like to explore further or is it the scripts that excite you, irrespective of the language?

It is neither. For me, it is exciting to explore different characters. 

About your debut directorial Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. How did you bag the lead role in the debut film?

Audition (laughs). I still give auditions, it has been eight years. For Jigarthanda, I auditioned. Poacher, also I auditioned, for this Dabba Cartel, also I auditioned. And I am very happy when I get a role after the audition, because then we know that we have worked hard to get that. Like for Dabba Cartel, they asked for two auditions. 

Your upcoming projects?

There is Enna Villai (directed by Sajeev Pazhoor, known for penning Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum). This is Sajeev ettan’s first film as a director, and it is a very personal project for me. The shoot for my portions is completed. It is a socially relevant subject and I am waiting for the audience to watch it. 

I am also working on a Tamil series on Netflix. There is also a Hindi film, which is halfway through its shoot. I can’t comment about it now since they are yet to announce. But it is something, I’m very excited about.