Karisma Kapoor on her upcoming series ‘Brown’: ‘It resonated with my personal experiences’

Karisma Kapoor returns to play a damaged but driven cop in Abhinay Deo’s crime drama ‘Brown,’ based on Abheek Barua’s morbid novel ‘City of Death’

Known for essaying colourful characters, Karisma Kapoor returns to acting in the role of a tenacious but pill-popping cop out to catch a psychopath in the upcoming series Brown. Fighting alcoholism, loss, depression, and the demons they create, her character of Rita Brown wants to remain relevant in her career and life.

Karisma recently made heads turn at the Berlinale where the series, directed by Abhinay Deo, was screened in the market section. “The character is so raw and human,” avers Karisma, as she discusses her return to the screen after a long hiatus. “I was looking for something that is creatively satisfying. Apart from the crime drama where Brown is investigating the brutal murder of a girl, we are touching upon a subject that is not normally dealt with on screen.”

Karisma describes the ZEE5 thriller, based on Abheek Barua’s moody, morbid novel, City of Death, as, “The inspirational journey of a woman who is worn out and beat up. She is going through a lot but still turns up when the situation demands her. The moral of the story struck a chord with me as it resonated with my personal experiences. Life has ups and downs but you can deal with and come out of it.”

Acting, she says, is all about observation, and she drew a lot from her life and those around her. “As always, I bounced ideas off Kareena and she came up with suggestions.”

More importantly, the series set in Kolkata has an Anglo-Indian backdrop, with Soni Razdan playing Karisma’s mother. Few know that Karisma’s maternal grandmother was a British who married a Sindhi. Soni was also born in London to a British-German mother.

Karisma describes it as interesting casting and says Brown’s relationship with her mother reminded her of her bond with her mother Babita, a popular actor in the 1960s and early ‘70s. “My mother’s first question was, ‘Oh! You are playing a character who is addicted to smoking?’ But then she is an actress and understands the demands of a role. Like Soniji in the series, my mother is still concerned about whether I have eaten well after a long day at work. No matter how much trauma Brown goes through, her mother is always with her. It is a lovely relationship.”

On the long break after Dangerous Ishq, Karisma says it was a choice she made. “I have always followed my heart more than my head. I started working at a young age and wanted to take a back seat, chill, and give time to my kids. I didn’t want to go to a film set for 100 days, leaving my family behind. I was happy doing it.”