Right from her debut in 2000 as a child artiste in Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya to her latest appearance in Code M—Jennifer Winget has always managed to be noticeable. From playing a doctor in the wildly successful Dill Mill Gayye to slowly transitioning into the soft, demure but inherently strong Kumud Sundari Desai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saraswatichandra, to playing the maniacal Maya Mehrotra in Beyhadh, that only went on to highlight the chamaeleon that she is when it comes to changing her facade as a performing artist. So much so, that Beyhadh made a return in 2019-the same menace, the same passion, and the same devastating beauty-Jennifer still knew how to keep you hooked to your screens. In 2018-her role as Zoya Siddiqui in Bepanaah with Harshad Chopra was so endearing as a classic love story that they were crowned with the Times of India’s Most Favourite Onscreen Jodi. Jennifer made her OTT debut as Major Monica Mehra in Code M in 2020. The show’s second season, which was recently released, has soared to the top of the charts. In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, she shares her vision of always being a part of all things extraordinary.
Everything you touch turns into gold, be it Dill Mill Gayye, Saraswatichandra, the massive success with Beyhadh, Bepanaah, and now Code M—what does it feel like to be called the television’s hit machine?
I freaking love it. When I started TV, times were very different, so for me to get opportunities like that to play different characters, I feel so blessed and thankful. Because that happened to me so early in my career, it has become kind of my mantra now that I don’t want to do similar roles, I need to do something different. I want to learn something new, and people will learn something new from me. I love the switch. I love to play characters that are not just white or black. In that grey area, there is a lot of range for me as an actor. So I think it has become my second skin.
Over the years, you’ve had competitors in your industry always venturing out, seeking big Bollywood dreams. But you seem to have no inclination towards that?
I have aspirations. I do want to work in movies, maybe in Hollywood. There is no limit to dreaming, so why not? But when I was doing TV, I was so busy that I did not have to do anything. Now that OTT has come into the picture, the line between television and Bollywood is slowly fading and I get asked this a lot. I want to do good work. I won’t do it just because it’s a movie and I get to play a substandard role. I would rather wait.
How do you detach yourself from complex characters?
It is challenging, especially when you play a character like Maya. The process of getting into a character and getting out of it because television is not like movies where after 3–4 months you are done with the shoot, a television show goes for a minimum of 8–9 months. And if you play one character every single day, it becomes a part of you. With Maya, the whole process of getting into that psyche was so much fun because I was getting to do everything a hero would. It was so exhilarating as an actor to play such an empowering role. So yeah, it was difficult to get in and out of the character, but it was so much fun. I love that process.
What challenges did you face while training for the action sequences for Code M?
Playing an army officer and undergoing all that training was so much fun. In season 2 we were just coming out of the pandemic and just before the shoot I got COVID, so I could not train so much before the season, but the foundation that we had during season 1 helped us a lot. Before season 2, all my training was done on Zoom. It is just so empowering to wear that uniform. You just automatically change your whole demeanour. I remember the first time I wore the uniform, I had tears in my eyes because I had never seen myself like that before.
What is your process of scaling up? Do you have moments where you get inspired by the work being done by your contemporaries?
We have access to not just Indian content but so much more. I loved the Mumbai Diaries. I think that show is very well-written, performed, and directed. Then there was the obviously brilliant Scam 1992. I see a lot of these kinds of shows and I would like to be a part of them, but I don’t know, they haven’t approached me.
You’ve played the role of a quintessential good wife in Saraswatichandra, a doctor in Dill Mill Gayye, and a boss lady with a dark mind in Beyhadh and now an army officer in Code M- Which genre would you say has challenged you the most as an actor?
Every character has a little bit of me in them, otherwise, it would not be genuine. When it comes to challenges, Beyhadh was challenging because it was something I had never done before. Even for television, there has always been a vamp. There is a hero, a heroine, and a vamp. But Beyhadh changed the game that time for TV because not a lot of importance was given to grey characters. So for me, I think that was a little challenging but a whole lot of fun.
So where will we see you next?
I have been saying this for the longest time. I really want to try my hand at comedy. And I think I am decently funny, so I really want to do that. It is too soon to say anything about this, but I am kind of trying to make something, so when it is all done, I will tell you about it. I can’t speak about it right now because things are in the very early stages right now. But since nobody is offering it to me, I think I’ll only have to produce one.
Period films are the trend right now. Do you see yourself doing period dramas in films, TV or OTT in the future?
I read this book a while ago called The Longest Kiss. It is a book on Devika Rani. She was the first woman in Indian cinema to kiss, but the story behind that is completely different, but that is what people know. She has had a very empowering and interesting life journey, so I think if somebody makes that, I would love to play Devika Rani.
