Mumbai: Moving away from love interest roles to complex characters has been a conscious effort, said actor Jyotika on Tuesday as she lamented the lack of stories told from the female perspective.
The actor, known for films such as “Doli Saja Ke Rakhna”, “Chandramukhi”, “Kaakha Kaakha”,” Kaathal – The Core”, and “Srikanth”, will next star in Netflix series “Dabba Cartel”.
“My shift happened when I was 27. I’m 45 now, so it’s been a long time since I shifted from the love interest and praising the hero roles. It has been a conscious effort. I think it’s very much required.
“There are a lot of stories to be told from the female perspective. They are fewer. I feel ‘Dabba Cartel’ is a fresh take on how women are and they are battled as domesticated women and women facing the outer world,” Jyotika told reporters at the trailer launch of “Dabba Cartel” here.
The upcoming show follows five ordinary women and how their low-key dabba service spirals into an unexpected venture: a high-stakes drug delivery operation. It also stars Shabana Azmi, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand, Sai Tamhankar, and Lillete Dubey.
In the series, Jyotika essays the character of Varuna, an ambitious married woman.
“With Varuna, there was something deep inside her. These complications in a character are very important and are obvious in every woman’s lives. The connect with a real woman out there is what makes me choose a character,” she added.
The actor, who started her second innings in Hindi cinema with 2024 films “Srikanth” and “Shaitaan”, said she became a better actor in Azmi’s company.
“Just standing with Shabana Azmi ma’am, observing her as an actor, has sort of made me a much better actor. The first frame that I saw of myself with her while dubbing for this, I had goosebumps… I was like, ‘Am I sharing screen space with the Shabana Azmi?’ I haven’t been this excited with a male actor. This is a very special one for me,” she said.
Farhan Akhtar, who has produced “Dabba Cartel” under Excel Entertainment, said it is important to have strong female voices in the entertainment business.
“So that there are strong well written female characters who are not discussing men and problems about home, they have careers and life… That will inspire many generations of younger women apart from fulfilling their dreams,” Akhtar said.
“At Excel, it’s important to tell all kinds of stories… It was impossible to say no when Shibani (wife, show’s co-creator) took me through what the show was about. One can only pray for incredible talent to be attached to the show. I’m proud of the show and what it represents,” he added.
“Dabba Cartel” will premiere on Netflix on February 28.
