Exclusive! Nimrat Kaur on her Bollywood hiatus: Films offered were stereotypical, similar to The Lunchbox or Airlift

The moment you must have seen Nimrat Kaur's name being mentioned as a part of Dasvi, you might just go back in time to think about which movie she was last a part of. Well, it might sound unbelievable, but the actor's last Hindi movie outing was the Akshay Kumar starrer Airlift, which hit the big screens in 2016. Yes, after six long years, Nimrat is back on the Hindi film scene in a never-seen-before avatar.

Her look and performance in Dasvi are impressive as a village belle turned circumstantial Chief Minister comes into play after her husband, played by Abhishek Bachchan, is taken into judicial custody.

During an exclusive interaction with OTTplay, Nimrat revealed that she has been offered stereotypical roles that she had earlier played in The Lunchbox and Airlift, and Dasvi is a film that got her out of her comfort zone.

The actor spoke at length about what made her say "yes" to Tushar Jalota's directorial debut, produced by Maddock Films.

Edited excerpts below:

You know, it was quite delightful to see you in the trailer for Dasvi. What I want to know is why it's been so long. What has kept you away from movies here since Airlift?

Staying away from COVID (laughs) is what I have been doing. I've been dividing my life half here and half in Hollywood. I've been doing series and shows there, then coming back, doing something here and then going there. It's never easy for me to be in one place, dedicatedly. It's almost like when I go to LA (Los Angeles) and meet people, they're like, "Where are you? And why not work enough here?" My heart doesn't know what to choose. Good problems, I suppose. But it's difficult because I do want to work here a lot more. Sometimes the films that were offered were not good enough in terms of the parts that were offered. They've been stereotypical in their approach, which was similar to how I was in The Lunchbox or Airlift. They were in the same vein. Parts have not been that exciting, or then sometimes when I wanted to do something that didn't come together, it didn't sort of solidify at the time.

What excited you about Dasvi that made you say yes to the film?

It's all the reasons why I have not been able to pick up work. It gives me an opportunity to explore a genre that I've always wanted to see; comedy. It takes me away from my comfort zone and has made me challenge myself as an actor in every way; physically, dialectically, etc. Honestly, I've never imagined myself being in a part like this. You know, how as actors we all kind of have a certain spectrum we know we will play within? This is a space I've never imagined being in, honestly, of a village belle turned into a circumstantial politician. I couldn't relate to anything in the character, not Bimmo, not Bimla Devi Chaudhary, not the housewife, not the CM. As Nimrat, this is the first time that I've felt unable to relate to anything in the character that I'm playing. So those are all the reasons that Dasvi appealed to me from the get-go. When Tushar and Dino (Dinesh Vijan) spoke to me about the part, I was sold. I felt like I was doing this. They better not change their mind. I know I'm doing it.

What kind of prep did you go through for this role?

I prepared for the accent for a long time with all the best people in the business. I prepared myself quite regularly and rigorously because I speak Punjabi. For me, the challenge was not to bring a Punjabi accent into Haryanvi because it's very close. The very small differences, like in Punjabi, will be called Paabiji and in Haryanvi, we will say Babiji. I am inclined to have a little bit more of a Punjabi flair than Haryanvi. I had to work quite hard to stay away from that and to make it a language of my own so that my tongue rolls in a way that's not unnatural.

I also simultaneously worked very hard at putting on about 15 kilos. What you see on screen is the heaviest I've ever been physically, and I had to keep the weight because we went into a pandemic and I still had three days of work left. We went into a lockdown. We were shooting in Lucknow when the lockdown happened, and we had to shut shop and pack up. We didn't know when we would shoot next, and I was left to keep on with all of that. Obviously, for consistency in the role, I could not have reduced the weight because, as I said, it was three days, but there were a lot of scenes that were still left to be shot. It was a very long journey with some very unexpected turns, like lockdowns and this and that. But one of the most challenging experiences, probably the most action, because as an actor, I've never been more out of my comfort zone.

So, was it easier to get back into the role as you went back to the sets after a long time?

No, I had to revisit some of the scenes, and I had to see them and remember that this is what I had done. This is the pitch I have taken and this is the zone I need to remain in. It wasn't easy, but it was also not difficult. It's like your body has a memory; it comes back quite quickly. But I had to revisit some scenes and make sure that I stayed true to what I had left behind.

In a recent interview, Abhishek said that his character's relationship with you in the film was something he enjoyed the most. How was it working with him?

It was the first time. I hadn't met Abhishek before. Even socially, I think very sporadically that maybe somewhere, I properly interacted with him for the first time on set, as I got to shoot with him. He's one of the most incredible human beings I have ever met. I will say that 100 times, the guy's such a thorough gentleman. He is such a classic person. When you look at somebody and you say, "Well brought up person," he's that guy. He is so chilled out and relaxed, doesn't take himself too seriously and wears his heart on his sleeve. He's vulnerable as an actor and so giving as an actor, thoroughly professional, thoroughly collaborative, and so encouraging. The actor, part of him, is one part, and the person, part of him, is lovely, if not better. I think, all in all, he's such a consummate artist and such a lovely presence because he's had the most maximum experience. I think he's done over 60 films. It's incredible; he has such lightness, effervescence, and buoyancy about him. He looks after everyone, and I felt like I'd known him for a very long time. It didn't feel like I was meeting somebody or working with someone for the first time. We have great camaraderie and great banter.

You were among the first to feature on an OTT platform with The Test Case. What do you have to say about the whole space now?

I think it's brilliant and this is exactly what I thought would happen with this space, which is why I jumped into it, hook line and sinker, at that time. That was the other day when I went through such a massive physical transformation. Of course, towards the other end of the spectrum, I love being a part of a long storytelling format. I feel like that's exactly why it's doing so well: people have 100 things to watch. Now they can choose whatever they want. Everyone in the house can choose whatever they want to watch at the same time. Nobody has to sit and suffer the same thing together. I think there's never been a better time for good quality work to be produced. Everyone's coming out with their best work and their best foot forward. People know that mediocrity will be rejected as quickly as you try to produce it. Nobody has the time or the bandwidth or the space to suffer mediocrity. I think it's bringing the best out of people and creators; it's a win-win.

Do you think, with the boom of OTT space, there has been a drastic change in women's characters being written?

Yeah, 100%, because how many times can you make a woman a cheerleader, or a weight foil, or someone who believes in the dreams of her husband and not let him give up that dream? People will not watch it. It's as simple as that. So imagination has to be expanded, and creativity has to be challenged. Because women are such a predominant part of our stories, there will be a point where people will be exhausted from watching them be portrayed in the same way. I think it's a wonderful time.

Coming back to Dasvi, I enjoyed the fact that I was given scenes where comedy was being created and driven by the characters. She wasn't the butt of jokes, and she wasn't what was being laughed at in a scene. She is the one whose behaviour will make you laugh. So you are a comedic engine in those scenes, and I feel that that's empowering. I feel that comedy hasn't been attempted that much with women or female actors. It's one of the hardest things to do as an actor, if not the toughest. I feel like comedy isn't written for women. A few women are given opportunities where you're not the object; you are the one driving that. I'm a huge Sridevi fan. God bless her. What kind of immaculate timing was it, Sadma or Mr. India! What incredible work she has done.