EXCLUSIVE: Is a crucial intimate scene in Matka King an ode to The Wolf of Wall Street? Kritika Kamra responds; says, "Worked with an intimacy coach for the first time, it was like choreography"; reveals Pestonjee was a "BRILLIANT reference" for her Parsi character

“Good girl, questionable decisions. Context arrives this Friday” — this catchy caption on Kritika Kamra’s latest post, shared as part of the promotions for her web series Matka King, perfectly captures both her character’s vibe and the chaos she brings into the protagonist’s life. At the same time, it also reflects Kritika’s enticing Instagram caption game, which deserves far more attention. Ahead of Matka King’s release on April 17, the talented and stunning actress spoke exclusively to Bollywood Hungama about playing Gulrukh, working with Vijay Varma, and much more.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Is a crucial intimate scene in Matka King an ode to The Wolf of Wall Street? Kritika Kamra responds; says, "Worked with an intimacy coach for the first time, it was like choreography"; reveals Pestonjee was a "BRILLIANT reference" for her Parsi character

 

We have often seen Parsi actors or certain actors play roles of Parsi characters in films. Hence, were you pleasantly surprised when you were given the offer to play Gulrukh in Matka King?

 

I wasn’t surprised as it didn’t come very easily. I auditioned twice and I convinced them that I could play this role. They auditioned several actors. Everybody I was talking to was auditioning for this particular part in this show! Hence, they auditioned everybody – Parsis and non-Parsis. However, though she’s a Parsi, she’s a Bombay, cosmopolitan girl. She probably had studied abroad and then returned to the city. That’s why we didn’t give her a typical Parsi dialect, as the show is not about that milieu. We discussed how much of it we should depict in the show, what is caricaturish and what is not.

 

We have only seen traditionally Parsi characters in comic roles. I was looking for references in cinemas and there aren’t many. The only brilliant reference is Pestonjee (1988). Every actor in the film, specifically Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah), is so spot-on. It didn’t seem forced. Since every character in that film was a Parsi, they stuck to their dialect. In Matka King, we chose not to do so. I try to play with my voice a little bit as I wanted her to sound young, full of wonder and more urbanized. Even today, if you speak to the elite South Mumbai residents, their R’s and T’s are softer. We only touched upon that much in the language of the character. In every scene, we have depicted her as very poised and dressed up. Hence, it was interesting to figure out how much to do, what is too much, what is too little, etc. Also, I don’t know if people will even notice but I have ensured that she doesn’t want her to come across as me in real life.

 

 

 

Your look is also quite appealing. It’s realistic yet stylish yet in sync with the era depicted in the show…

 

(Smiles) That’s the most fun part about period dramas. I have done two such period shows in the past where I had a no make-up look and it was crucial that dikhna nahin chahiye ki hair styling kiya hai. With Matka King, we had the time and liberty to dress her up as somebody like her would always be prim and proper.

 

What did you know about the game of ‘Matka’ before the show was given to you?

 

I knew nothing about it at all (laughs). I had to Google it before my first meeting. A lot of research was already done by the team. They had even made a manual for us on how to play the game. We then played Matka to understand what actually happens in it. At first, I thought that you just need to draw cards from the matka, and you win the lottery if your number is called out and that’s what the game is all about. But it’s a complicated game as the permutations-combinations are endless. The possibilities of winning in matka are too many. So, we need to understand the rules like what is a jodi, what is sangam, half-sangam, full-sangam, etc. Vijay and I are shown conducting the game and it took both of us a while to get the hang of it.

 

 

When watching the show, I am sure many would get intrigued and would wish to try it…

 

Even when we played, we realized that it's quite addictive! That’s the thing about gambling – it gives you hope. You start expecting that you have a chance to win a large amount. This is why gambling is such a problem.

 

How was it working with Vijay Varma? I believe this is your first time working with him…

 

Yes, and it was fantastic. We didn’t have to know each other or break the ice. From day 1, we had an unsaid understanding. Before any scene, we were not sitting and explaining ‘I think I am going to do this’ or ‘why don’t you do that’. Instead, our rehearsals were very open. He lets you be till you are able to rehearse and find out the sweet spot. There were a lot of improvisations. He’s not somebody who sticks to the dialogues. Moreover, he’s trained and intelligent, as evident by his filmography.

 

There’s a scene in the film where Brij (Vijay Varma) and Gulrukh are on the bed and it's filled with currency notes. Was it an ode to The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)? It also had a similar shot of Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie…

 

(Laughs) Oh my God, I didn’t think about that! But you’re so right. However, it didn’t occur to me while doing the scene. That sequence evolves. It was supposed to be an emotional moment and then they get intimate. Their relationship was playful and this scene depicts that aspect too. It also has a pivotal moment as Gulrukh reveals that she wanted to open a restaurant. So, a lot was going on emotionally in that scene, from the beginning to the end. Also, they are making so much of money that they don’t know what to do with it.

 

For that scene, we had an intimacy coach, a first for me. So, it was very technical and like choreography. It was about ‘this is the visual that we had planned, you are placed here, you hit the mark, do 1-2-3’! I had to really concentrate and hence, (The Wolf Of Wall Street parallel) didn’t occur to me.

 

Also Read: Kritika Kamra on her character Gulrukh in Matka King, “She comes from a space of power, yet she feels powerless”

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