Samikssha Batnagar’s web film Black Rose went live last week on April 16. Since then the Web Traffic on ShemarooMe, where the movie is available, is SkyRocketing. In fact, the film has also been garnering amazing feedback in the other two streaming platforms where it is available, that is Airtel Xtreme and VI Movies.
Your work getting noticed and appreciative is a different high altogether. I am ecstatic and grateful at the same time. Black Rose stars Samikssha Batnagar and Jaishankar Tripathi in pivotal roles. She plays the lead role of ACP Tara, who is the special investigating officer in charge of solving a car accident case. It’s a murder mystery directed by Hemant N Mishra and shot in Allahabad.
Having worked in Bollywood films such as Poster Boys, Calendar Girls and Hamne Gandhi Ko Maar Diya, *Samikssha recalls having a wonderful experience shooting all these films. Her role in Poster Boys was quite prominent. She was paired opposite Boby Deol in it. “He is a very humble and down-to-earth person. Learned a lot from him in my first major film” she adds. Working in films or on the web are almost the same, feels *Samikssha. “From acting point of view, there is not much of a difference. However web series are short format, limited episodes, and more content-driven. Movies, on the other hand, can be on varied topics and be more creative at the same time. In current trend its all shot in real space and not my different,” she explains.*
Next, the actor will be seen in the web series Jo Hukm Mere Aka. “Jo Hukum Mere Aaka stars Shreyas Talpade and Krushna Abhishek. I am super excited to be a part of this project. I’m playing the female main lead opposite Krushna in it. This is a fantasy comic series. It will be released on a major web platform, an announcement will be made soon,” says the actor adding she enjoys being part of diverse genres and is not keen on doing bold scenes just for the heck of it or to create hype.
Apart from films and web, the actor has done TV as well. Recently, she also did a play titled Rashomon Blues. “I am very passionate about the stage. The adrenaline rush I feel performing in front of a live audience and the instant feedback you get is unmatchable. It gives you an opportunity to improvise each passing play,” she adds.
Batnagar feels the entertainment industry is evolving and adapting to the latest trends. The audiences are also becoming more aware of the world cinema and know what exactly they want to see. “It’s becoming tough for actors though because today your social media followers decide whether you would be a part of a project or not at times. That’s the harsh reality and putting additional pressure on not only budding talents but on actors to always remain in limelight,” she says adding that if not an actor she would have been a dance teacher or choreographer.
The actor prefers maintaining a low profile and wants her work to do the talking, while she focuses on her craft. So what about out of sight means out of mind? “That’s the reality and it took a while for me to understand and I’m not fully onboard with this thought but can’t be fully ignorant about it, so will balance it out,” adds Samikssha, who feels an actor’s talent and choice of work matter more than how s/he looks or how much s/he is out there. Today’s cinema is beyond looks and it’s more content oriented
