Namita Lal has been a rank outsider in the film industry, and in no time, she has made an impact which not many other actors are able to make. She opens up about her journey, the kind of roles she is looking out for and how OTT has helped her make a breakthrough.
There are different stages in everyone's career. While some stay on the same path, some explore different avenues. Namita Lal belongs to the second category. From a banker to becoming an actor, she has done pretty well for herself and has a good fan following. The ‘Before Life After Death’ actor talks about her journey.
“I was a banker till very recently. I joined the industry as a late entrant. It started with theatre and I have done 12 stage productions since 2015 in Singapore and India and after that, I got an opportunity with feature films. Till now I have done ten feature films, most of them there are in different stages of completion. My debut feature was ‘Lihaaf’ by Rahhat Kazmi which was released on Voot. So, it's been a wonderful journey so far. A different experience in an industry that has taught me and given me so much pleasure,” Namita Lal says.
Looking back on her struggles and missed opportunities, Namita Lal adds, “When you are living your passion nothing is a struggle. I balanced work and theatre till I finally quit my banking job and relocated to Mumbai. The experience of giving auditions, and self-tests, has been an eye opener in the challenges an actor faces. Acceptances and rejections have all been tremendous learning for me. I am deeply grateful for the amazing projects I have managed to get as a complete newcomer in the industry.”
The number of mediums, platforms and online channels has increased., and so has the competition. If you don't take up an opportunity, there are 100 people ready to grab it. Namita Lal has a candid revert to this predicament as well.
“I think the development of the digital space and OTT coming into the scene has given a lot of opportunities to experiment with different kinds of stories, mediums and styles. And that has opened up more avenues for people to jump into, whether it's acting or writing or direction or production, and I feel that is a very good sign. If this wasn't there, I don't think I would have been able to make a breakthrough into the industry with only a few studios to work with. All these new doors helped me find a foothold here,” she says.
Talking of the kind of roles that she is looking out for, Namita Lal says, “I think female-oriented films are again an area that is developing. Now stories are being created around actors. If you see my movie ‘Before Life After Death’, it is all based on stories which have scope for mature actors. And yeah, I've got lots of dream roles as well. I dream of being a Don, a madam in a brothel and so on. I look for roles that have a strong relationship orientation as an adult woman and a younger partner. Those are different aspects of relationships that I would love to explore through different shades of different characters.”
For the betterment of her craft, Namita Lal has done a lot of workshops including a foundation course in method acting in Jeff Goldberg Studios. “I've done workshops with Actor Prepares as well. I read a lot. and, for the last few weeks, I have been reading a lot of scripts, whether it's theatre or film scripts. I did a few courses on screenplay writing with overseas colleges during Covid. Most of all, I watch a lot of content from all over the world,” she shares.
So, what is that one film or show that she has seen many times and considers her reference textbook? “I don't have any particular series or movie that I watch again and again. I do watch a lot of referral content when I'm doing a film to help me develop the character in my head especially when I get a particularly challenging part. I do watch a lot of old films of Raj Kapoor, Satyajit Ray, and Bimal Roy too. I think those are my textbook/s. I also enjoy watching films of my favourite actors Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Meryl Streep, and Kate Winslet. Alia Bhatt from this generation hugely inspires me,” she concludes.