Actress Nikita Dutta, who has worked in projects like 'Kabir Singh', ‘Gold’, ‘The Big Bull’, and horror movie 'Dybbuk', last featured in web series titled 'Khakee: The Bihar Chapter'. The Netflix show is inspired by the true story of how Bihar's most dangerous criminal was caught, and depicts a tussle between dreaded gang lord and an upright Indian Police Service officer Amit Lodha, played by Karan Tacker. Nikita plays the character of Tanu, the wife of Amit Lodha
Filmmaker-producer Neeraj Pandey, who is known for films such as 'A Wednesday', 'Special 26', 'Baby', 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' and others, worked in the show capacity of a show creator.
In a conversation with Outlook, the actress opened up on working with Neeraj Pandey and Karan Tacker, and what made her pick the role. Excerpts from the interview.
How was your experience of working in ‘Khakee: The Bihar Chapter’ and how has been the feedback so far?
One of the reasons why I had said yes to the role was because of the opportunity to work with the entire setup, Neeraj Pandey making it and the entire ensemble cast. The feedback has been positive, and one of the best things I have heard so far is that the show, despite being set in Bihar, has nothing crass, nothing vulgar. Another one I have got is that the screen brightens up once I come into the frame, because my character was meant to be a reality check to the protagonist, Amit Lodha, played by Karan Tacker. So, we have hit the target that we wanted to.
How was it to work with Neeraj Pandey and share screen space with Karan Tacker?
Neeraj Pandey is known to create thrillers with no unnecessary drama, be it ‘Special 26’, or ‘Wednesday’. They keep you engaged throughout but at no point you feel like what the hell is going on. That’s what his specialty is, so it was a privilege to work with him. Coming to Karan, I was working with him for the first time. I feel, on set, Karan is charming as a co-actor. He was always up to help me and extremely entertaining, and people are appreciating our pairing on screen.
TV, films or OTT, what medium do you prefer the most and why?
I cannot pick a choice. I think all three are dear to me. TV gave me the experience that I needed, so I owe a lot to it. When it comes to film and OTT, the content is something I relate to more and enjoy doing more. I am focusing on that.
Any particular character or filmmaker on your wish list?
With all my previous work, I have maintained one thing that I should relate to the character, it should be out of the box and something I am not in real life. All my characters have been different and I want to do more challenging roles. There are plenty of filmmakers on my list, including Anurag Kashyap, R Balki, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Lastly, tell us about your future projects?
I have signed up for my first regional film, a Marathi film titled ‘Gharat Ganpati’. I will then work on ‘Dange’, which is directed by Bejoy Nambiar, and post that, I would like to see how things progress.
Coming to 'Khakee: The Bihar Chapter', the show also features Avinash Tiwary, Ashutosh Rana, Ravi Kishan, Anup Soni, Jatin Sarna, Abhimanyu Singh, Aishwarya Sushmita and Shraddha Das. It is backed by Friday Storytellers and directed by Bhav Dhulia.
