Mumbai: Actor Nimrat Kaur, who garnered widespread acclaim for her performance in the critically acclaimed film The Lunchbox, recently opened up about her difficult journey prior to landing the iconic role. In an interview with The Indian Express, the actor recalled days of anxiety and uncertainty, particularly about how she would afford basic living expenses before receiving the breakthrough opportunity.

Kaur revealed that before her foray into mainstream Bollywood, she was actively involved in theatre and appeared in advertisements and music videos in Mumbai, as she struggled to make ends meet. “There were times when I would worry about where the next pay cheque would come from,” she said. “I would wonder — am I good enough? Should I go back home? Do people even like what I’m doing? Before The Lunchbox, I had reached a stage where I truly didn’t know what to do next.”

The actor, who played an important character in The Lunchbox in 2013, shared that her early days in Mumbai were far from easy. “I worked in music videos for about two to three months and appeared in numerous commercials,” she recalled. “I did theatre for nearly four to five years. There was a time during my theatre days when my bank balance was extremely low. It was incredibly difficult to figure out how I’d manage financially. I was often scared. Going back home in that situation felt like another kind of defeat. I had some very dark days. I would cry, I felt utterly alone. But there was always a voice inside me that said — don’t give up.”

Before The Lunchbox, Kaur had appeared in a supporting role in the English-language film One Night with the King and made cameo appearances in Bollywood films such as Yahaan and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. The Lunchbox, directed by Ritesh Batra and produced by Guneet Monga, Anurag Kashyap, Arun Rangachari and Lydia Dean Pilcher featured Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in pivotal roles. The film was highly acclaimed internationally and went on to win the Grand Rail d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Following the success of The Lunchbox, Nimrat Kaur went on to appear in major films including Airlift and Dasvi, as well as American television shows such as Homeland, Wayward Pines, and Foundation. More recently, she featured in the series Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs and Akshay Kumar starrer Sky Force. Her upcoming film, Section 84, is currently in production. (With inputs from Agencies)