Akanksha Nehra on Crime and Justice, Bollywood and the need for more Indians in the film and TV industry in Kenya

In “Pride”, episode 3 of the Showmax Original Crime and Justice, Akanksha Nehra plays Mrs Singh, a mother whose daughter has been murdered in a motel room, alongside her boyfriend. As detectives Makena (Sarah Hassan) and Silas (Alfred Munyua) dig deeper into the case, they discover that the Singh family isn’t what it appears to be.

Watch: Crime and Justice Season 2 from 21 February 2022.

We had a chat with Akanksha to find out more about her character in Crime and Justice, her experience in Bollywood, meeting the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, working in the film industry in Kenya and more.

Crime and Justice is Kenya’s first Showmax Original, how does it feel to feature on this project?

It is an honour to be part of this series. I’m grateful to our casting director Lorella Jowi and the director Adam for seeing me fit for this role, and I’m hoping to be part of more Showmax Originals in future.

What was the most challenging thing about playing Mrs Singh?

First of all, I had to play someone much older than my real age. Secondly, I’m not a mother yet, and maternal feelings are something new to me. Being and expressing something you don’t relate to can be very tough. It takes a lot of introspection and meditation to get into the character. Luckily, I’ve played a young mom in several ads in Bombay and that helped me a lot.

Episode 3 tackles a very sensitive topic – racism and caste system in the Indian community. How did you feel about it especially since you play a character who is against her daughters’ boyfriend because of the colour of his skin?

I had lengthy debates with Adam, the director about this. I couldn’t believe such a story could be true to the point that it is being made part of such a huge show. As I am born and raised in this country, I have not experienced the concept of the caste system among Kenyan–Indians, although it’s definitely in India.

On a personal level, do you think things are changing? And what more can we do as a society to make things better?

100% they are. The caste system is definitely dying out. Racism will take a long time to be eliminated from the minds of mankind, but we continue to hope. Charity begins at home, and I think each one of us has to become more tolerant of the differences in our society.

What did you think about your character when you got this role?

She’s a strong mama bear who has to live in society, follow societal norms and protect the name over maternal love. She’s one strong lady.

What did you have to do to prepare for this role?

I designed a strong character sketch for Mrs Singh. She definitely had to be a very tough person to plan what she did at the cost of hurting herself, knowing she might lose all she has. I used a lot of breathing techniques I had learnt in Pondicherry for the emotional scenes. Crying is so tough for me… I tried.

You’ve featured in a couple of Bollywood films, how was that like?

I’ve starred in ABCD2, Ribbon, Guns of Benaras, Inkaar, Ishq in Paris, to name a few…I have dreams of working internationally and I’m glad I worked in Bollywood, and it taught me a lot.

 Was it hard to transition from Bollywood to the Kenyan film industry?

It’s not a transition per se – this (Kenya) is the home ground. I have represented Kenya as Miss India Kenya in Durban in 2010. I am so happy to play a Kenyan-Indian in a Kenyan TV show. I’m waiting for more beautiful writing to be a part of.

 If you were to choose one famous Bollywood actor to star alongside, who would it be?

I once did an ad with the legend, Mr Amitabh Bachchan. He is an international icon, famous for his white goatee and his movies that span five decades. The experience was divine. Just observing him during the process taught me so much. There is a reason why he is a stellar performer. His discipline on set is enticing. He’s the actor I’d like to work with again.

We don’t see a lot of Indians on local TV, do you think that the film/TV industry is ready for more Indian actors?

Definitely. It is sad that the Kenyan industry is taking so long to acknowledge the multicultural society that we exist in and show that on screen. But I’m glad a few small parts are being written here and there, but they can definitely give more prominent and meatier roles to brown and white Kenyan actors. I’m happy to share that I have a major part in an upcoming Kenyan-British movie, The Schemer, directed by Peter Pages that has prominent actors like John Sibi-Okumu and Brian Ogola. It’s being filmed later this year and the best part is it has lots of brown and white actors, so it’s definitely a big step. 

Catch Akanksha Nehra in episode 3 of Crime and Justice. New episodes release every Monday.