In an industry where an artist is easily typecast for the kind of roles they do, National Award winning actress Divya Dutta, in a career span of 25 years, made sure that she fights for the kind of characters she plays in her films. From being the heroine's best friend to being a shrewd politician, Divya Dutta has made a mark with the kind of roles she chooses for herself. Similarly, in 2018's release Blackmail, the actress once again proved her mettle by playing a short-tempered alcoholic woman who is also a nutcase.
"My fight with the industry has never been about not being offered roles. My fight has always been on trying to bind me in things that I have done before. If I have done Veer Zara they'll give me that, if I do Delhi 6 I'll get the same thing. I have never allowed them to stereotype me. I took charge and said I don't want to do it, instead, I told them want I want to do."
Recalling the day when she started shooting Blackmail, she said, "As an actor, you want your director to see you differently and not as the past roles you have done. I was excited that my director Abhinay Deo thought I could pull off a role like that. He said, I think you are a nut somewhere and you can pull off a role like that."
Dutta, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category at the REEL Movie Awards 2019, says that Dolly as a character had so much madness in her that she kept adding layers to it. A complex character which could have been easily come out as an 'irritating' and 'easy to get on the nerve' was perceived as a quirky, on the edge and an enjoyable figure.
Talking about the recognition she got for Dolly and her nominations, she said, "It's a huge encouragement and when a qualitative award comes in, it gives you a validation and you know you are doing the right thing."
Among the ensemble cast of Irrfan Khan, Kirti Kulhari, Gajraj Rao and Omi Vadya, Dutta stood out as Dolly. "I got a mind-boggling review from everyone. When I stepped out of the theater after watching Blackmail, everybody had a smirk on their face looking at me, saying you are mad. Somewhere everyone enjoyed the role and I was glad to play this quirky, crack, nutcase and crazy woman."
However, she was nervous when she went to shoot on the first day, because according to her, the first day sets the tone of the character. Despite that, she never shies away from challenging herself to try out different roles and characters. "I am at that stage where I want to keep experimenting with my roles. My fans expect me to do something different. For me, that's a huge pressure and I want to maintain that. First came Fanney Khan, then came Blackmail followed by Manto. Three totally different films, a good year perhaps," she concluded.
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