Divya Dutta says ‘the biggest director’ called her after seeing Dhaakad poster: ‘Is that you? Oh my god!’

Billed as one of the biggest female-led action films, filmmaker Razneesh Ghai’s Dhaakad releases on Friday. While Kangana takes the spotlight as agent Agni, it’s actor Divya Dutta who has earned praise for her villainous character, Rohini. Recalling her biggest compliment for the film, Divya believes that Dhaakad is a purple patch in her acting career. “After the posters were released the biggest director called and said ‘Is that you? Oh my god! You are unrecognisable’. It’s so amazing for an actor to hear something like this,” she told Hindustan Times.

Divya is currently basking in the success of her Punjabi hit Maa, and soaking in the compliments on just released film, Dhaakad. “I have two films—Dhaakad and Maa, releasing back to back, in two weeks. And, both the films are so different from each other. I think this is just exactly what someone said, a purple patch to my career. It feels nice to be applauded and call you a star actor. When people say things like ‘We wait for your films’, it feels nice. It makes things nicer to take on these different challenges and surprise yourself with others,” she added.

When asked if she had any second thoughts about taking up a negative role, she shared without any hesitation, “Not at all. It is so much more enjoyable to play a negative character because it has so many layers. A role like this comes with a positive streak, a grey area and a negative side. She is pure evil, a total wacko. It’s beautiful to see what happens when you take on a role like this and a lot of things come to you on their own.”

Playing Rohini in front of the camera came quite naturally to Divya as she described it. “I remember we were shooting for a scene and I did something different than what I was supposed to do, I don’t know where the improv came from, but no one stopped me. I was wondering why no one is saying cut but turns out they enjoyed what they watched. I was surprised and thought to myself why I did do what I did. I was on the verge of feeling guilty. This is because you know when you take on a character, you leave Divya aside and let the role take on. When I was Rohini, she made me do things I never thought of. I think that she is going to be loved by everyone. It left those who have seen it saying ‘Are baap re!’ Their reaction is making me happy,” she shared happily. 

(Also read: Divya Dutta: I’m now becoming the face of my films, things changed after my National Award win)

Talking about her character, she dropped hints about whether she will be joining Kangana and Arjun in gruesome action scenes in the film. “I am shooting a lot of people in the film, all I can say. Of course, Kangana and Arjun are doing the hardcore action scenes but mera role alag type ka hai (My role is different). There’s madness to this character with her detailed actions. I think something like this has not yet come on screen before. It’s a face-off between two women and my character is so in love with her partner, Rudraveer (played by Arjun Rampal) that she would do anything. From partnership to camaraderie, and mad love shared between these two on-screen people is new. The action is going to be a treat to watch,” she signed out.