Netflix dropped its latest outing, Taskaree: The Smuggler`s Web, starring Emraan Hashmi and Amruta Khanvilkar, among others, which has become an audience favourite, courtesy of its binge-worthy narrative. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day, Amruta, who plays a Customs Officer and a single mother in the series, shares her inspiration for the character, trusting director Neeraj Pandey for a spectacular arc, and more.
Amruta Khanvilkar on choosing projects
For Amruta, trusting the makers makes a huge difference when working on a project. “Today, every director and writer has their own signature, as to how they want to write a script, their story, how they want to tell it. That is very important for me. Will this story move forward if my character is absent? If it does, then my character is not important. That’s a basic rule. I need to add value to the script,” she asserts.
Amruta adds that as an actor, she falls in a tricky zone where she could be cast as a nobody or as someone important. “I cannot trust anybody; it’s a little gamble you play with yourself. But when makers like Neeraj Pandey etch out characters and do justice to them, it is amazing. He doesn’t add characters just for the heck of it,” the actor maintains.
Amruta Khanvilkar on playing a single mom
Amruta plays a feisty single mom who doesn’t need saving. She is seen doing hand-to-hand combat with goons all by herself while co-star Emraan Hashmi is on standby. When asked who inspired her to emote, she states, “Of course, my mom is not someone who will kick somebody’s a**. But just the way she’s lived her life like an iron woman.”
About Taskaree: The Smugglers Web
Spanning key smuggling corridors across Al-Dera, Addis Ababa, Milan, and Bangkok, Taskaree opens up the complex machinery of the international smuggling world- a web built on coded routes, false manifests, and calculated misdirection. At its centre is a specialised customs task force at one of the busiest airports in the country, Mumbai International Airport, led by an uncompromisingly honest team of officers. Taskaree also stars Nandish Singh Sandhu, Zoya Afroz, Anurag Sinha, and Sharad Kelkar. It is currently streaming on Netflix.