By Radhika Bhirani
New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Well-known to Hindi television viewers as Arohi of "Kitani Mohabbat Hai" and Nidhi of "Kuch Toh Log Kahenge", actress Kritika Kamra is now taking the Bollywood plunge with "Mitron". She says she has been on the verge of making a film debut a couple of times, but somehow things didn't work out then.
Set in a Gujarati milieu, "Mitron" also features Jackky Bhagnani, and is a slice-of-life film directed by Nitin Kakkar of "Filmistaan" fame. It is a remake of the Telugu film "Pelli Choopulu".
Is "Mitron" the kind of launchpad Kritika hoped for?
"Can I be honest? I have been close to making a debut a few times in the past now. I had signed things, we had almost gone on floors and the films did not happen... Sometimes the film did not take off... And they were all, according to me, logical decisions. I was very cautious that I wanted to do a film with a good director, with a great script, with a production house wherein you would know the film won't get canned... But I found that even films with big studios sometimes don't literally take off.
"But I had my own journey, and when I got to do this film 'Mitron', it happened very fast. I signed the film and in 15 days we were shooting. There was prepping up, reading... I was so engrossed in that process. But now when I look back, I am very grateful that this happened to be my first film because I can very proudly say that I am doing a film I believe in," Kritika told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
The film's colourful poster features three men and Kritika.
"Films are very male-centric unlike TV, which is very female-centric, but even in a male-centric medium, I am getting to do a very good female part. So I am really happy that my film debut is this ('Mitron')," said the actress, who was also loved for her role as Ananya in "Reporters".
After years of dabbling in the television industry, Kritika was happy to land an "important" role in a film as "refreshingly real" as "Mitron", which was shot in Ahmedabad.
"There's attention to detail, which I was creatively very happy about," she said of the movie, which she describes as being more about friendship and companionship.
From the look of it, the movie caters to the youth.
"Young people will be able to relate to the film and I play a very relatable youth character. It's a very's today woman, independent, ambitious... A woman who wants to do a lot with her life and she is well-educated," said Kritika, who is glad that it's not a "hardcore potboiler" and is instead reflective of "stories of real people".
What about TV projects as of now?
"Not right now... I was busy doing this film, and I want to wait to see how this unfolds for me. I want to be a part of the promotions... I have done a lot of TV, and I have been able to do some short films... This is my first project in the film space, and I am excited."
(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)
