Anuritta K Jha rose to fame with her Bollywood debut Gangs of Wasseypur. However, it was OTT where she found her true calling. The actress plays Kavita in the popular web series Aashram. Her show Ek Badnaam… Aashram Season 3 premiered digitally on June 3. The Free Press Journal caught up with her for an exclusive chat.
A still from Ek Badnaam… Aashram Season 3
Opening up about the pressure due to the show’s popularity, she says, “I was scared, but I wasn’t scared because of the pressure, but for the unpredictable characterisation of Kavita. I didn’t know where she would go. In the first and second seasons, she had a lot of silence, and it was established. Also, this was the first time I did an intimate scene in any film or a series. There was a pressure of performance. I feel once the series is popular and your character has received so much love, the responsibility increases. Prakash Jha sir was very clear what he wanted out of me.”
Sharing further about her challenges in playing Kavita, Anuritta shares, “Silences are very powerful and very difficult to play on camera. Sometimes if you are silent, you can go totally blank. Kavita’s inner world is always sad and longing for a good life. I wouldn’t have been able to do it until it came from within. I created a very strong background story. I kind of brought in a few things from my life that are relatable to Kavita. There were days when I had just one shot throughout the day, and I used to sit in the vanity to not let go of my character.”
After her debut with Gangs of Wasseypur, Anuritta went on to do a couple of Hindi feature films which didn’t work, but she was noticed for her performance. With Pariwar, she began her OTT journey. “It has been proved that actors who didn’t get their dues are becoming famous on OTT. You see so many fantastic actors on digital platforms. Since it’s a writer’s medium, it has not uplifted them but also actors, directors and technicians. And because of the 10-hour long format on OTT, you get to stay in your character much longer,” she explains.
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The actress agrees that OTT has also changed the narrative for women-centric stories. “When I travel, I see women are doing the majority of work than the males, and I am not being feminist. Content is the king. If it demands a male protagonist, then it should have. Just because female-centric work has not been made, that doesn’t mean it needs to be pushed. I would love to have action content for females on OTT. It is a transition phase, and people are accepting it,” Anuritta avers.
A still from Ek Badnaam… Aashram Season 3
With a good slate of films and series lined up for Anuritta, it seems like she has become wiser in picking projects. “I think I was wise enough earlier, too, but there were not many options for me to choose. Opportunities were very few. Even when things weren’t working out for me, I have said no to many projects. I have Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, where I play a very important role, Imtiaz Ali’s Thai Massage, AK 47, Asur 2 and two short films,” she concludes.
