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Actor Kritika Kamra has been part of the industry for almost a decade now, but very few know that she did not want to become an actor. She says that she wanted to get into fashion and acting happened by chance.
“I never thought of becoming an actor. I was actually going for Arts and never thought of acting. I was in fashion school. So, if not acting, I would have become a fashion designer or stylist or something in that field. But I am glad that I chose acting, because now when I look back, I think if I would not have chosen acting, I would have become a wannabe actor,” she says.
The actor has been seen in shows such as Kitani Mohabbat Hai, Pyaar Ka Bandhan and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, and says that she has always been specific about the shows that she chooses to come on board with. “I have chosen content which is very strong. I like to play strong characters. I have tried to choose characters which I could relate to or which I can watch. So the script is very important for me. I have played many different roles, love stories, doctor, reporter and now a fantasy show. I have also done reality as well as hosted a show. So it has been a conscious effort to choose different roles. There are very fewer opportunities, so exciting roles come once in a while and I try to take my time to think about them,” she says.
The actor has been paired opposite actor Gaurav Khanna in the show Prem Ya Paheli – Chandrakanta produced by Nikhil Sinha (Triangle Film Company) says that they share a great rapport.
“I have been blessed to have such wonderful co-actors in past and again I have got this great opportunity to star opposite Gaurav Khanna, who is a fabulous actor. It works with us because we get along really well, even off-screen. He is a very fine and experienced actor. So with him, there is always a comfort level, whether it is an intimate scene or a passionate scene. The bond that we have translates on the screen. So I think with all my co-actors, it is the friendship that shows a great chemistry on-screen,” she says.
Working in a costume drama is not easy, says Kritika.
“I had to be in shape, I had to look fit and lose weight because the character is the most beautiful woman on earth. That’s what the legend says. She is supposed to be desirable. There are men fighting for her who want to spend their life with her. So she had to look a certain way. She had to look larger than life. The costumes and the make-up were something that presented the character beautifully. So I wanted to try my best. I lost some weight. I am still on a particular diet and I have to be very careful with the way I look. Apart from the physique, the language was something we all had to work on. But now we all are getting used to it,” she says.
The actor has also been part of some short films such as Best Girlfriend, Friend Zoned and White Shirt, and says that she wanted to do these films as an attempt to diversify in her career.
“The thought behind taking up these short films is that I don’t want to be known as a television actor. I want to be known as an actor. I want to be able to work on different platforms and do different things. People think that television actors only know how to over act and cannot get out of that genre, they have no sense of content. I beg to differ,” she says, adding,
“Television is meant for a certain kind of audience. But then again it is trying to step out of its niche. There are many experiments going on to produce a different kind of content. So I like experiments. They are completely like my creative endeavours.I look to do different things other than television so that I can explore and people can see my other side as well. All my short films have got a wonderful response. People do not expect that kind of response because it is not like normal feature films, we don’t make money out of it. But just as well, we have got so many likes and views. In fact, my last short film White Shirt has got a very terrific response. All the film critics have reviewed it as well. And even it has come under Top 5 short films. So it feels that when you experiment and do something out of the box and you get such a good response. It is very heartening.”
In fact, Kritika wants to get into films too, but is waiting for the right project.
“I am not desperate, but that does not mean that I don’t want to do a film. I would love to. It is the only medium which I have not worked on. I have done theatre, I have done television and also now I have experimented with the web as well. So cinema is the only medium which is left. And that too for the obvious reasons. I don’t want to be labelled as an actor from television. I will do a film only when I have being explored creatively and the content is really credible,” she says.
Working round the clock can be tough when you want to maintain a social life. Talking about her friends, Kritika says that all her friends are not from the industry.
“I am a very social person. I have got many friends and acquaintances. I have got a few close friends in the industry as well outside. It is very important for me to maintain the balance between my friends who are from outside because they are the ones who know what is happening with me in the world outside the industry. I am blessed to have these great friends in the industry as well as outside,” she says.
