 "EXCLUSIVE | Zee5's 'Gyaarah Gyaarah' actress Kritika Kamra: 'Cinema has drastically changed for women, but we are still far behind in terms of...'")
Gyaarah Gyaarah by Umesh Bist is now streaming on Zee5 and has opened to positive reviews. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Dhairya Karwa and Kritika Kamra spoke about their memories of the 90s since the show takes us back in time, prepping for their characters, and cinema changing.
Kritika Kamra on the show
The concept is very intriguing and new. There are mystical things happening the moment the clock ticks 11:11. We have seen a lot of police procedurals but nothing like Gyaarah Gyaarah. I was eager to know what will happen next. And I’m sure people who will be watching the show will also find themselves thrilled and intrigued. I also got the opportunity to play the role of a police officer after playing a gangster in Bambai Meri Jaan.
On cinema changing since the 90s
I think cinema has changed drastically, especially for women. Female characters are now written with flesh and blood. We are still far behind in terms of perfection but the amount of women directors that we have had now and the way women are headlining movies, all these things didn’t happen in the 90s. We now get to see an array of diverse women characters on the screen since the representation has grown. It’s really important for us to find people on the screen we can relate with.
On revisiting the 90s
There’s a nostalgic factor but now we have become woke and we now understand things better. It’s always exciting to revisit a period since your environment completely changes. I’m currently working on something that’s again exploring the era of the 70s and 80s. And such different characters allow me to do things that I have not done with myself.
On her prep for the character
I try to know the value system and motivations of my character. Playing a woman in uniform requires you to have a certain body language, and a certain command. We all were trained in action, I learned how to drive a manual SUV. We were shooting in -2 degrees and that too amid rainfall. It was really really rich experience because I got to explore a range of emotions.
Dhairya on the cinema of the 90s
We have grown up watching that but now we have a better understanding since we now have more content. My first film in the cinemas was Raja Babu and I loved it. So somethings have changed, somethings have remained the same. Cinema makes you feel, you could either relate to it or escape from it, but still feel. With OTT, we now have more platforms and more opportunities which is great.
On his experience of acting in Gyaarah Gyaarah
Like you said it is different. It is something that I haven’t done. This was a part where I got the opportunity to sink my teeth in. To my advantage, I had a lot of screen time despite the nature of the story. In my prior experiences, I have really yearned for screen time. In my last four films, the screen time has not been a lot so I have really yearned for that.
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