Brown, Karisma Kapoor's latest show, has already garnered a following at the Berlin Film Festival before it ever airs. It is a dark and gritty investigative thriller. In a recent interview, the actress spoke about her character in Brown. She suffers from alcoholism and has been severely beaten by life. Curiously, because the story is set in Kolkata, Karisma had to learn Bengali for her part. Not only that, but the actress also had to learn how to roll a joint because her character is a chain smoker.
In an interview, when Karisma revealed what compelled her to sign up for Brown. She told ETimes, “When I heard the script for Brown I was wowed. The character of Rita Brown is so different, she's so raw and human. The story touches upon certain topics which are not normally danced with or put forth. I remember my first reaction was, 'Should I do this?' After the narration and experiencing the insistence of Abhinay Deo (director) and the entire team of producers at Zee Studios, I decided to take up the challenge of being Rita Brown. It was a wonderful experience.”
Karisma’s character in Brown was that of a chain smoker and an alcoholic. Hence, the actress had to learn to roll a joint. When asked whether it was similar to having a culture shock after getting acquainted with her character in the show, she said, “I wouldn't call it a culture shock, but these are definitely not things that I normally do. I was not in my comfort zone in that sense. But then that is what the challenge of being an actor is, right? And you always want to push yourself. I always want to take myself to the next creative level. Being Rita Brown was an extremely interesting experience and I think a creatively satisfying one at that.” She further added that every show demanded a lot of hard work. “Hard work here was to the point of very nuanced hard work, whether it was on the character, locations, on the script level, on every level of making the show,” she said.
Brown had got selected for the Berlinale Series Market Select. Karisma Said, “The honour is that Brown is the only Indian show in Series Market Select at Berlin. It feels very humbling and exciting at the same time. The real victory is that all the hard work that we put into the show is getting noticed. And not just here in India, but on an international platform. It's also encouraging to know that our show has brought an all-new perspective to Indian content on a global stage. The kind of themes and topics that the show highlights are different. And the story tells you its fine to deal with all that stuff.”
Brown is a dark and gritty investigative thriller. When the actress was asked what makes it so different, she said, “It is not just a regular crime drama. It is also a human drama. It's a show about human emotions. It's about certain topics that we don't bring to light or put forth too often. I think it's an inspirational story. I would call Rita Brown an inspiration to women around the world. You can be beat up, you can go through certain things, but there is always a way out.”
Karisma’s character in the series is an Anglo-Indian character who is a cop. When asked how did she react to the character that was offered to her and how was her experience while playing the role, she said, “Yeah, that was very interesting. We did a lot of work to get that side of the character right. I saw a lot of footage, I had to read about it. We had a lot of workshops with Helen aunty and Soni (Razdan) aunty. It was a lot of fun playing an Anglo-Indian character.”
Further when she was asked if the show was designed in a way that it would appeal not just Indian audience but to international viewers too, she said, “I don't know. I never thought about that, actually. I never looked at it that way. I don't think it was intentional. I think maybe Abhinay just tweaked the tone of his show in such a way that it has reached an international audience. The idea was always to make something different, a bit out of the ordinary. I don't think we set out to make something that must reach an international audience. It was set out to just be something out of the ordinary.”
In the show, Karisma’s character Rita looked jaded. However, she was put in a corner and she had to push through. Comparing Karisma’s character reel life character to her real life, the actress was asked how did she relate to this and whether she could recall a similar situation in her real life where she had to fight back. She said, “That was the most interesting part for me. You don't really see these things with your average Indian female protagonist. Sometimes our characters are made to be superhuman. On the contrary, with Rita we get to see someone who is so beat up and so down and out. I just feel that going through a life journey, you see people, you see things happen in your life and other people's lives. And these are real human emotions that you experience. I think that's what touched me about Rita Brown, that she was so real and raw. Her thought process and her body language is not that of a typical heroine or a typical Indian character. She has not been portrayed as a typical woman. She is totally different.”
Brown also stars Helen, KK Raina and Jishu Sen alongside Karisma, Surya Sharma and Soni Razdan and shall be one of the first series to follow a police procedural in an emotionally twistful manner. The Berlinale Series Market is a joint initiative of the European Film Market, the Berlinale Co-Production Market and Berlinale Talents.
Also Read: Karisma Kapoor starrer series Brown grabs a spot in the Berlinale Market Selects 2023
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