Anuritta Jha on playing a cop in ‘Mithya The Darker Chapter’ and her career, challenges, and upcoming projects

Anuritta Jha, who was last seen in Asur season 2, is back storming the web space, this time around with Mithya The Darker Chapter, directed by Kapil Sharma. The actress plays a cop for the first time in her career and, needless to say, is on cloud nine. “It's a beautifully penned role. Moreover, I had never played a cop before, so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.”

Throwing light on why she prefers to take up complex roles like that in Gangs of Wasseypur, Aashram, or Asur, Anuritta says, "As an actor, you want to be seen in a glamourous role. But when I saw myself in Asur as Kamini, the killer, I fell in love with the craft of acting because I realised there is so much more than just being a pretty face. I am hungry for substantial character roles that have a strong presence, speak for themselves, and help take the narrative forward. When I choose a role, I look at it as a whole package: my role, the director, producer, et al."

"Take, for instance, Rocketry: The Nambi: Effect, where I had like three scenes. But if you remove my character, the conflict in Nambi Narayan's life is gone. Madhavan sir shot the scenes beautifully and gave the scenes their due importance. Mithya, too, was a whole package of drama, emotion, and mystery.”

Talking about her shooting experience, she says, “Mithya was shot in Darjeeling. And being a mountain girl, I thoroughly enjoyed working on the project. Huma and I worked together after 10 or 12 years. We shared a fantastic, beautiful working relationship, and we reminisced about our days from a decade ago (Gangs of Wasseypur). The entire team was fantastic, and it made our work a lot easier.”

She adds, "Moreover, today, OTT platforms have opened the doors for creative people. On the web space, there is a bouquet of characters, whose journeys are showcased in 6 to 8 episodes.”

Meanwhile, the actress is giving writing serious consideration. “I produced my first short film in 2015, and I have started writing scripts seriously. My first script, Hawa Mithai, has made it to NFDC Screenwriter's Lab. It is a story based in Bihar, about a boy and his desire to do something, and is inspired by mythology.”

Anuritta has had her ups and downs in her career. When asked how she manages her challenges, she says, “I started with Gangs of Wasseypur, and I have seen extreme lows as well. I think it's important to go through that. If you survive and still believe in your craft, then you will come out as a beautiful person. I think it has humbled me and made me realise that it's important to not take fame seriously. To cling on to something that is so transitional is not going to make me happy. If success goes to your head, you are done with.”

So what are her upcoming projects? “I have in my kitty, Aashram 4 and AK 47, a political drama based in Bihar. I play the leading lady in it. The cast also comprises Ravi Kishan sir and Shekhar Suman sir. The story also revolves around how the AK-47 came to India. We shot in Ranchi, and I got to speak fluent Bihari finally. It was like a Bihari party on sets.”