‘I ENJOY PLAYING LAYERED PARTS’
Talking about the digital boom, Amrita Prakash says almost every fiction story on the web is either erotic, morbid or dark
Amrita Prakash has made a place for herself in TV and films, and has also worked in the digital medium. Talking about the digital boom, she says, “As an actor, I really enjoy the digital space. It gives me the chance to explore scripts that play within the realms of realism, instead of always being larger than life. Web requires a different kind of performance, very different from what is required for films and television,” she says. Amrita adds that she loves the natural and real characters that she gets to portray on the web. “As much as the digital world has opened the gateways to realism and some amazing content, the lack of any boundaries is making makers focus far too much on eroticism. If it’s a part of a show, that’s different but on the web, almost every other fiction story is either erotic in nature or morbid and dark. It’s the age old, shortcut to selling the product. I wouldn’t fall for that. I understand the difference between a situation when a story is being told because it’s a story, and a scenario when it’s being told because the makers think young people will relate to it if it has drugs or cuss words. I wouldn’t go bold for a project on the digital platform because I think they’re just taking advantage of the freedom the web offers,” she says.
Amrita who has been part of films such as Tum Bin (2001) and Vivah (2006), says she likes playing layered and complex characters. “As a performer, I see myself as a storyteller. As long as my character plays a critical role in helping the story progress, I am all for it. I have worked in films, TV and web, and I don’t choose my mediums. I always focus on the character and story offered to me. That’s all that matters to me. Most of the roles I have picked up so far have been relevant to the story. I enjoy playing layered, complex and imperfect characters. We don’t see a lot of them on Indian television, but we do see them in international productions,” she says.