Nimrat Kaur: There is a sense of danger when you are alone in Delhi

From an exceptional film debut and her first appearance on the ramp to the varied film offers she is getting now, actor Nimrat Kaur gets talking about her career, future plans and life in general.
Being an Army kid, Nimrat Kaur has had a nomadic up bringing. The Lunchbox actor and a DPS Noida and Shri Ram College of Commerce alumna, who now calls Mumbai her home, spent a major part of her life in Delhi.She was in the capital to walk as the showstopper for Rina Dhaka's show on Wednesday at the ongoing Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers India Couture Week in association with Logix group, presented by FDCI. Ahead of her ramp debut, we caught up with an excited as well as nervous Nimrat for a chat about her life and work.
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO DELHI
She's walked a number of national as well as international red carpets with her films ­ both Peddlers and The Lunchbox were screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and 2013 respectively ­ but Rina's show was her first catwalk experience. “I have never walked the ramp before. I've come especially for Rina's show.
There were a few names in fashion which I have grown up hearing, and Rina was one of them. She put forth a request and I was free so I decided to do it. And since my home is here, it was just another opportunity for me to come to Delhi. I don't know if people usually get to choose what they wear on the ramp, but I got to choose my outfit, which is great,“ she says.
THREE FASHION WEEKS IN DELHI
Being a Delhi girl, is she aware of the fashion scene here? “No, not really .I just found out that there are three major fashion weeks held every year in Delhi. I know that a lot of designers are based here, and if I had done more ramp walks, I would have known more. I did a lot of print and TV ads, but I haven't done much of ramp modelling. I think I am not tall enough,“ she says.
LOOKING BEST ALL THE TIME IS NOT MY PRIORITY
Her critically acclaimed film, The Lunchbox, showed Nimrat in a deglam avatar. But how is she in her real life? “I like to dress up and look good when I want to. For me, the beauty of being an actor lies in the fact that you can blend in and stand out when you want to. In Lunchbox, if I had looked fetching in that suffocated environment, I would have killed the character. Looking best all the time is not the priority for me,“ she says.
COMING HOME IS DIFFICULT NOW
“I was brought up all over the place, my dad was in the Army , so I have lived in many places, but for about nine years Delhi, Noida, to be precise was my home. I studied at DPS, Noida, and finished school in 2000. I still have a house in Noida Sector 29, where my mother lives. I don't come back here often, but I meet my sister and mom whenever and wherever we can convene. So, I was happy to come for the Couture Week. Otherwise it's difficult now to come back to Delhi too often,“ she says.
CULTURE SHOCK
As a kid, when she moved here, after living in various small cities across north India, Nimrat found it slightly difficult to adjust to the place. “It was a bit of a culture shock for me because I had lived in much smaller cities ­ parts of Punjab, like Bathinda, Patiala, even in Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir ­ and it was very different here. But it was really peaceful at that time, and life was simpler. Now, it has become really hectic, things have changed so much and so fast,“ she reveals.
DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE IN DELHI
“I have been living in Mumbai for about 10 years now, and I feel much more comfortable living in Mumbai as I feel safer there, living all by myself. You can wear what you want, do what you like without having to look over your shoulder. There is this sense of danger when you are alone in Delhi. I don't feel very easy here. I feel that I should watch out, whether I am in the public transport or just walking. The male gaze in Delhi makes you cringe, which is different in Mumbai. We've all had incidents while growing up, but unfortunately we've grown immune to all of that and think, haan, sabke saath hota hai. In terms of safety , Delhi and Noida might be different in different pockets. Delhi itself is such a vast city, who knows where the real Delhi is? For me, Delhi is Hauz Khas, Saket, and Khan Market. I'm sure you won't be going into a dark alley at midnight, but you have to be careful. Even Noida has its pockets which are safe, and then there are places which are unsafe,“ explains Nimrat.
THE LUNCHBOX IS STILL BEING CARRIED
The Lunchbox might have released in India last year, but it continues to travel to various film festivals. The Ritesh Batra-directed film was recently screened at film festivals in Italy and New Zealand. Ask Nimrat about it and she says, “I don't know what's happening with that film, someone's making a lot of money from it (laughs). I spoke to Ritesh recently when he told me he is going to Japan with the film at the end of this month, I was like, `What? Japan? What's happening with the film?' I have travelled so much with the film myself, I recently went to Slovenia with it.“
HAVEN'T SIGNED NIKHIL'S FILM YET
It was reported that Nimrat would be doing a film opposite Rajkummar Rao, but the actress says nothing has been confirmed yet. “The script is very interesting, and I want to work with Nikhil Advani, but nothing is final as I am yet to sign the film. But in principle, I do like that script at lot. Right now, I am looking at expanding my audience base, doing all kinds of films. I am getting all sorts of film offers, nothing like Peddlers and Lunchbox, which is great. A lot of good work is happening even within the commercial sphere,“ she says.
DON'T GET TO BE WITH MY CATS
“Currently , I am working on an ongoing American mini-series, and I will be leaving for that in a couple of days. Life has become really hectic. I have two cats at home, Kitkat and Karamchand, and I hardly get to spend any time with them. KC was really snoopy , he would keep looking in the corners, so I named him Karamchand. They have been living with me in Mumbai for 6-7 years now,“ she concludes.
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Nimrat Kaur