True patriotism is embracing differences

Nimrat Kaur loves challenging roles that push her boundaries, and offer her depths to explore. Adding yet another feather in her cap, she will next be seen playing a person preparing to be the first woman test case in a combat role in a web-series titled The Test Case. While the role demanded much hard work from her, she loved the experience. She talks about the character, her love for the army and offers her take on patriotism on Republic Day.

Talking about the hard work that went into prepping for the role, she says, “I love the army and anything related to it. The part, however, was extremely challenging. Many of the action scenes required special training. But it was a very fulfilling journey. It is something that I will always be grateful for. It was also one of the most wonderful experiences in my professional life.”

The web series is close to her heart, as her childhood was spent in Army cantonments. Her father died serving in the army. Did it impact her performance? She shares, “My father’s demise is not something that affects my professional life. I keep it separate.”

Nimrat spent a significant part of childhood in New Delhi. She recalls the Republic Day celebrations. “We used to wake up early, have breakfast and rush to the balcony or go to the terrace and wait for all the aircrafts to fly overhead. It was a huge occasion for us. The flag hoisting and the National Anthem was great. I used to be excited about the Republic Day parade and the colourful tableaux.”

Talking about Republic Day having become just another holiday that promotes pop-patriotism, Nimrat says, “There’s nothing wrong in typical things. If someone is dressing in a certain way or putting up statuses and pictures online, it shouldn’t be a problem. It is also a way of showing one’s love and pride for the country.”

Talking about what patriotism truly means to her, she says, “True patriotism for me, as an Indian citizen, is to be able to contribute to the society in any manner… anything that needs your contribution, it doesn’t have to be anything rigid. For me true patriotism means loving each other, embracing different cultures and different religions and letting each other flourish.”

While she loves the army and enjoyed the experience of preparing for a combat role in this show, she is not keen to walk this route anytime soon again. She says, “In the future, I wouldn’t do something like this as I don’t want to repeat myself. But if I wasn’t an actor, I would probably have tried to be in the army.”