For an actor who’s spent over two decades navigating films, television, and OTT spaces, Amruta Khanvilkar says she’s learned to trust her instinct as much as timing. “I’ve been selective with the kind of projects or roles I play. When people know that she won’t choose something random, they don’t come up with random stuff or roles that make no sense,” shares Amruta, adding how her choices are often driven by the relevance of a character rather than its scale. “The length of the role or the number of scenes don’t matter to me. Even if I have one scene to play, my only focus is, ‘is it impactful?’ Is it going to make an impact on the audience or the story?”
I’ve tried to widen my range as an actor
Recently seen in Emraan Hashmi starrer Taskaree: The Smugglers Web, Amruta says that OTT has given her space to experiment more. “Over the years, the dynamics of web space have changed, and that’s been for the good. I’ve tried to widen my range as an actor,” says the 41-year-old. She adds, “While everyone knows that I’m selective with roles, it doesn’t mean that I regret saying no to roles that I couldn’t play. They weren’t meant for me.”
When asked about the most surprising casting for her, Amruta is quick to say, “Raazi was a very shocking casting for me. I wasn’t in a very good space at that time, professionally and personally. I had started doubting myself, doubting my choices, and everything, and Raazi just came along and pulled me out of so many things.”
Casting is not in am actors hand, you loose some, you win some
She elaborates, “That film gave me confidence, which I needed back then to keep going. It was like a whiff of fresh air, and it boosted me. Some bigger things are working out for you at times, and that was very godsent for me. It really pulled me up in my life.”
While the actor acknowledges she’s aiming at experimenting with more challenging and out-of-the-box roles like her ongoing series, she’s also quick to accept that losing or being selected for a role is not in an actor’s hands. “Casting is really not in any actor’s hands. As an actor, you can go and perform, do your best on screen, but we can’t worry about something that’s not even in our control. Losing out on a role is indeed upsetting, but we can’t let ourselves live in the past, plus how do you know why someone got cast or why you lost out on a role? At my end, I just try to do the best, even if it’s a small part, it has to make a difference,” she ends.