Mrunal Thakur: Connected with her by the eighth day of shoot

Kartik Aaryan in the film; (right) Mrunal Thakur. Pic/Instagram

Though Dhamaka is centred on Kartik Aaryan's news anchor, it is Mrunal Thakur's character that propels the story forward. Writers Ram Madhvani and Puneet Sharma have etched out her part as a headstrong television journalist who finds her personal and professional lives intertwined. "No matter what profession [we are in], we all have to go through emotional turmoil [in our personal lives] while dealing with deadlines and the boss' demands. It's not an easy situation for Soumya [her character]," says Thakur. She describes the role as "dear" to her. "By the eighth day of the shoot, I started deeply connecting with her. But by then, it was time to say goodbye to her."

For the actor, the journalist's ability to put on a brave face when her personal life is in shambles struck a chord with her. "The best thing that has happened to me is when a critic or the audience [rave about] a particular scene featuring me. This, despite the scene being shot when I was having a bad day. At such times, I feel good knowing that I was true to my profession, no matter what I was going through in my personal life. That's the beauty of Ram's characters as well."

Thakur is thrilled to add a Madhvani directorial venture to her resumé, but the bigger high was to collaborate with Amruta Subhash on the Netflix project. She turns into a fan girl as she recounts, "When I met Amruta, I asked for a picture because I am a big fan of her work. Shwas [2004] is one of my favourite films. However, we don't have any scenes together."

Also Read: Mrunal Thakur: Playing a cop has been on my checklist