Infantry actor Akshita Namdev: Using my skills to create opportunities for myself
Coming from a small town and after spending nine years in Mumbai, film Infantry actor Akshita Namdev says that the city tests patience of outsiders
Coming from a small town and after spending nine years in Mumbai, film Infantry (2022) actor Akshita Namdev says that the tinseltown tests the patience of outsiders for a very long time and as you wade through the tides there is room for everyone.
“It feels like a nightmare now, but the city teaches a lot and the biggest lesson for me is to learn to carve your own path. I hail from Reva (MP) and with no acquaintances in the industry, the struggle is even longer. From theatre, stage management, assisting in direction, production and dabbling in various other departments, I did everything to survive. Today I am using all my skills to create projects where I can use my acting capabilities and give opportunities to others,” says Namdev.
She remembers on several occasions she thought of quitting. “I now understand why people return home or take extreme steps to end life. Thankfully my parents supported me but the situation of going back home came to me many times. For months when these so-called casting coordinators keep you engaged and then resort to ‘comprising’ tricks then you are left with either to submit or quit! I chose to carve my path and we started working on our projects.”
With filmmaker MK Shivaaksh, she worked on the short film Infantry and the yet-to-release long-short film Dhaaga which deals with mental health.
The actor recalls shooting for the feature film Accident or Conspiracy Godhra in Ayodhya. “It was a hectic schedule and there was no time for anything else we were dealing with a serious topic for which a lot of research has gone. I play a victim in the film who is a mother of an infant,” she says.
Namdev hopes her feature film will open bigger avenues for her. “We have done our best in research, acting and in making the film. Now, it’s up to the audience. I hope other makers too will give me more opportunities. Ek cheez samajh main aa gai...kuch bada karke and dikh kar hi kaam milta hai,” she says on a signing-off note