One of Indian television’s more popular faces, Kritika Kamra is the latest to make the transition into the world of films when she starred in Nitin Kakkar’s Mitron last month. But this has not come without disappointments. The Woods caught up with her to discuss the battles that television actors have to fight before being accepted by the mainstream film industry. And she does not disappoint us.

The Woods: You have done television for years before films finally happened. Was that a long wait?

Kritika: Honestly, this happened when I was not really chasing films. I have been at this juncture before in life where I signed something but the film did not take off. With Mitron everything just fit in correctly. I liked the filmmaker, the filmmaker liked me, it was a role that was good and I was excited. You don’t usually get such roles, especially TV actors. The roles that are offered, the low hanging fruits, are basically the smaller characters. But this was not like that.

Despite not being a part of the regular saas-bahu dramas, do you believe there is a certain baggage that is attached to you for being a TV actor?

Yes, that happens and there is no shying away from it. I don’t know about other actors, but I feel that during every first meeting or first audition for me, I have to prove that I am more than what they see on TV. I have to prove to them that not all television actors are loud. And it is not like we don’t have any personality. Which is why I was happy to do this film. Because let’s face it: a Yash Raj was not launching me. I am not a fresh face. With a fresh face, people still want to take chances. With TV, things are different. I was once called to an audition. I was told that the director wants to meet me. They had strictly said “no television actors”, but they thought I fit the part after they saw my test. They took two rounds of auditions and the director told me he likes it. And then later that evening I got a call from them, and they offered me the sister’s part. When Mitron happened, I did not expect overnight stardom. All I was expecting, and still am, for an even-playing field after this film.

For television actors, in that case, does it get twice as hard? Because first you have to fight the “image” and then the “nepotism” comes into play?

I started doing TV when I was 18. I did not know about all that. And even when I go to other cities, I realised that people love characters. The demarcation is not in their head. Nepotism is an absolutely different debate. Rather it is a fact. And it is there for everybody — be it a TV actor or a fresh face. It is definitely a privilege, and as long as people acknowledge it, it is fine. It is not going to go away. That’s not what I am fighting. There is no point.

You also did a couple of short films for the web. With the OTT scene coming up, do you think things could change for actors like you now?

Actually, the web also has a huge hangover of casting only Bollywood actors. There was a time in web when I felt that suddenly the scripts that weren’t becoming films were becoming web shows. Everyone was treating the medium like that because they are still experimenting. On web also, I want to be a part of a quality product. Sadly, people are too excited about the lack of censorship on the web. That’s the only thing people are celebrating! (OTT stands for “over-the-top,” the term used for the delivery of film and TV content via the Internet, without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-TV service)

Your film hasn’t worked. Has it dampened your spirits?

It was disheartening. I read every single review or blog about the film. I have read with fingers crossed, and when I would approach that paragraph where they talk about performance, I would be so nervous. But when I read good things it was a silver lining. That’s what I held on to.

Your co-star, Jackky Bhagnani tends to draw a lot of negative sentiment online. When the film was offered to you, did you think twice before working with Jackky? Evidently, a lot of actresses have said no to work with him.

I had two options. I could have done a small role with a very big star, or I could have been a pillar of a film with any other actor. Of course, when it’s an A-lister, that film does not come to you. It has to be rejected by a lot of big heroines for whatever reasons before they even start casting someone else for a film. So, if Mitron had a very big actor, it would have probably not even come to me. The fact that it came to me only is that other people did not want to do it. I don’t have anything to support it, but I am guessing what you are saying… and I have heard this from other places also. But to me, my reasons for doing it were very different. I am hungry to do something better.