Actor Madhurima Roy has a versatile career graph with a fair share of experience in the corporate world too. It was while working as a publicist that she first got an offer to participate in a travel show for Discovery Channel called Nexa Journeys. “In that show, we had to act and sing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It was then that I realised that I wanted to act. But not the one to act on impulse, I joined a production house to understand the back-end operations better,” says the sprightly actor.
Since then, Madhurima has acted in a slew of web series including Kaushiki, Criminal Justice, Little Things 3, Inside Edge 2, Four More Shots 1, and Code M besides cameos in films including Judgemental Hai Kya, Zoya Factor and Junglee. Last seen in Zee5’s Mafia, the actor is now busy shooting the last leg of an upcoming crime drama Mumbhai, for AltBalaji and Zee5, where she plays a crucial role. The series will see Angad Bedi play an encounter specialist and Sikander Kher as an underworld don. We had a chat with the young actor about Mumbhai and more. Excerpts:
Tell us about your role in Mumbhai?
It’s a crime drama set against the Mumbai of the ’90s and has an interesting premise. I play a bar dancer, who’s critical in taking the story ahead. When I was approached for the role, I got very intrigued since it has a tough past and was very challenging to play. I have lent the character a lot of dignity and respect. To get the body language right, I watched several Bollywood and Hollywood films including Chandni Bar and Chameli.
Do you think web series’ provide more scope to develop a character better?
Absolutely, you get so much time to flesh it out properly. When we first read the script, we set about with certain preconceived notions about the role. But as we shoot there are so many more things that get discovered about the character. A film has a specific time frame, but here, there’s so much more time to enhance your performance.
Do you think OTT platforms are going to gain more in strength post-pandemic?
The OTTs have already created a level-playing ground for everyone. Here, only good performance matters since the audience perspective and expectations have changed. They will only accept good content, be it budding talents or established stars, hence it’s a fair playground.
How is it shooting post-lockdown?
I resumed shooting a few days back and it initially felt so different seeing the technicians in PPE suits. Unfortunately, actors do have to take their protective gears off in front of the camera, so we have to be a bit more cautious. But it’s a different world now in terms of craft, and work environment. I guess all of us have come to terms with the new normal. We can no more freely hug or shake hands with our colleagues and acquaintances when we greet them and have to work with a shrunken crew. I think henceforth scripts will also be written keeping minimal characters in mind.
sharmishtha.g@ newindianexpress.com
@sharmidas