Actress Amruta Khanvilkar plays a serial killer in a new web series that is bold and challenging. Divya Giri chats her up
After Gupt, there have not been many films or TV series that have had female serial killers as the protagonist. Or perhaps Kajol’s act was too tough a benchmark to emulate. With their first web series, production company Hungama has attempted just that, a psychological crime drama with a female lead. Called Damaged, it is being helmed by Amruta Khanvilkar, fresh from her subtle act in Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi.
“The platform which I have got for my role is huge. I have never played the role of a serial killer before and it was extremely challenging for me as an actor. I have to convince my audience because people have seen me in a different role, that of a quiet counterfoil in Raazi,” said the actress.
Instead of a whodunit, the show is formatted in reverse, beginning with the revelation of the killer and then tracking her motive and backstory. It is more about the character’s twisted psychology and has some violent scenes as well. “The role was very challenging for me. I did my first intimate scene, first killing, that too brutally with a hammer, on screen. Nobody teaches you raw emotions and it depends entirely how the actor processes baser emotions to make it look convincing and not fake,” said Khanvilkar.
“It was not at all easy for me to smoke. In fact, I hate smokers. I didn’t even know how to hold a cigarette. Working on these little nuances was very challenging,” she added.
The entire series is about a cat and mouse chase between the serial killer and inspector Abhay, played by Amit Sial.
The actor believes she is blessed to be kept at the centre of the plot and praised her co-star for pushing herself to do better. “The character is so twisted and insidious that it affected my personal life and I started feeling lonely. But I am thankful to my husband and friends for helping me out,” she added.
The entire show was released on the same day unlike other web series for people to binge on.