Kubbra Sait On The Verdict: Nobody Before Told The Story From Sylvia/Mamie’s Perspective

Kubbra Sait enjoys a reputation to surprise and impress. The actress is certainly the one to watch out and the next big thing on the block. Dishing out stunning and magnificent performances, Kubbra adds another feather to her hat with The Verdict – State vs Nanavati. We must say, the hat is definitely getting crowded for Mamie Ahuja is one of the finest deliveries in recent times. Based on the sensational KM Nanavati vs State of Maharashtra case, The Verdict is another retelling of the 1959 event. Akshay Kumar’s Rustom and other screen projects have attempted earlier to narrate the story, so what sets this ZEE5 and ALTBalaji Original drama apart from those made earlier? Read excerpts from our candid, exclusive conversation with Kubbra below to know more.

1. What made you sign The Verdict?

The fact that the cast was so amazing, the forces together were so interesting. How can you say no to such a project? Also, this was the first project that was offered to me after Sacred Games. For me to see myself in a character that I have never played before. It was such an interesting challenge and it was so exciting before.

2. But the case has been already told before on the screen? What makes The Verdict different from the rest?

The fact that this narrative is so incredibly woven around the perspective of a woman. I think that’s what interested me or intrigued me the most. Nobody before told the story from the perspective of Sylvia or Mamie. Because back in the day, nobody wanted to hear the opinion of a woman. In that sense, this was a very interesting narrative and I was like, let’s do it.

3. You and Sumeet Vyas have worked together in three web projects now – Tripling, REJCTX and The Verdict. How would you describe him?

Oh my God! I think Baba is beautiful. He is not only a beautiful human being but also a beautiful actor and just beautiful.

Oh my God! I think Baba is beautiful. He is not only a beautiful human being but also a beautiful actor and just beautiful.

4. And the rest of your co-stars from the series?

I think everybody is a walking, talking acting school. Everybody is an actor by passion. It’s so prolific, they all have been doing this for a long time. It’s exciting to be surrounded by them. These are people who are unapologetic. Makrand Sir is a writer-director, Manav has been too, Sumeet has written. I could actually walk up to them and be like hey, I don’t understand this or how to go about this and they would help me make it better. It’s actually really cool to walk around people like this because they are helping you in the process.

5. From back in time when nobody wanted to hear a woman’s opinion to strong female characters, how has it all changed you feel?

I think there is more liberty being taken. It’s also that for the longest time we have had hero-centric films. It’s been very clear, either the actor is a hero or a villain and the actress is a lovely lady. But that narrative has changed, very systematically over a period of time. It’s getting better and it’s getting exploratory. It’s good fun to be in a place where people are experimenting and trying out new things. It’s an exciting time to even be in this space right now. Even writers are getting creative to write stuff that is tough on women, hardcore. I was talking to Angad Bedi earlier and he said a beautiful thing. He told me every human being is flawed. So, the idea of writing a flawed character is much more real and relatable. I think that’s what’s working. The relatability factor allows you to retain the character in your mind and heart. Nowadays the actor or the character feels much more you, so that idea is greater than how it was back in the day.

The Verdict features an ensemble cast of Sumeet Vyas, Kubbra Sait, Angad Bedi, Manav Kaul, Elli AvrRam, Makrand Deshpande, Saurabh Shukla amongst others. Have you watched The Verdict yet? Read our review of the web series here. Share your thoughts about the digital drama in the comments section below.

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