Nimrat Kaur Was Close To Giving Up Before The Lunchbox: 'I Would Cry, Feel Lonely'
Before The Lunchbox changed her life, Nimrat Kaur struggled with self-doubt and low funds. She opens up about the fear, loneliness, and voice that told her not to give up.
Before she became a familiar face in films and international shows, Nimrat Kaur was just another hopeful artist in Mumbai, unsure of when her next paycheck would come in—or if it ever would. In a candid conversation with The Indian Express, the actor opened up about the emotionally and financially challenging years she endured before her big break in The Lunchbox.
Recalling the uncertainty of those early days, Nimrat said, 'Sometimes I would get worried—where will my next paycheck come from? Am I good enough? Should I go back? Do people like seeing me in what I do?" She added, 'Before The Lunchbox, there was a point where I didn't know what I would do ahead."
After moving to Mumbai, Nimrat spent two to three months working in music videos and was frequently cast in advertisement films. Alongside that, she spent four to five years immersed in theater. But even that wasn't enough to sustain her.
'While doing theater, there was a time when my bank balance had fallen very low. It was very difficult to understand where money would come from," she shared. 'There was a lot of fear, and returning home in a situation like that is a different kind of humiliation. There were days when I was very sad, low, things were very difficult, challenging. I would cry, feel lonely, but there was a voice inside me that said, don't give up."
Nimrat's perseverance paid off when she landed her breakthrough role in The Lunchbox (2013), opposite Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Directed by Ritesh Batra and produced by Guneet Monga, Anurag Kashyap, and Arun Rangachari, the film went on to win the Grand Rail d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and changed the course of her career.
Before The Lunchbox, Nimrat had small roles in Yahaan, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, and the English-language film One Night with the King. Since her breakout success, she has starred in critically acclaimed projects like Airlift and Dasvi, and earned recognition abroad with roles in Homeland, Wayward Pines, and Foundation.
Most recently seen in Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs and Sky Force, Nimrat Kaur is gearing up for her next release, Section 84. From near breakdowns to global breakthroughs, her journey is a testament to resilience—and the quiet voice that kept telling her not to give up.
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Bodhana Sivanandan, Indian-origin phenom from England, sets record as youngest girl to beat a grandmaster
Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old British girl with Indian roots, made history on Sunday when she defeated Grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, thus becoming the youngest-ever female chess player in history to defeat a grandmaster. Bodhana set the record at the age of 10 years, five months and three days to beat the record held by American Carissa Yip since 2019, who was also 10 when she defeated her first grandmaster. Bodhana, a Woman FIDE Master, traces her roots to Tamil Nadu's Trichy, where her family lived until her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, who works in the IT sector, moved them to London in 2007. Bodhana was born and brought up in London and despite her young age, she has already become the face of British chess. At the age of eight, she was even invited to 10 Downing Street in August 2023 by then British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when he was planning to announce a financial package for chess in the UK. Chess for Bodhana happened almost by accident. 'Bodhana started playing chess when she was just five years old. We had no plans to make her play chess. She just stumbled across a chess board at home, and started to play,' Bodhana's father Sivanandan Velayutham had told The Indian Express last year. 'I knew just basic chess, so I downloaded to help her learn by watching the videos there. Back then, I just got her a free version, thinking she might not continue the sport,' he said. Sivanandan was mistaken. Bodhana has spent the last few years making headlines and breaking records. She's already won three world junior titles. Yet, her victory over the 60-year-old Wells caused a flutter in British chess circles. After all, Wells is still an active chess player, and Bodhana's title of Woman FIDE Master is at least five rungs below the grandmaster title, the ultimate title in chess. The event helped her earn the final 'norm' she needed to take one step up and acquire the Women's International Master title. Bodhana's victory also came as a bit of a shock because she was in trouble in the middle game against a player of Wells' experience. By the 19th move, dark clouds of trouble hovered over her pieces as both of Wells' menacing knights started advancing towards her king. By the 26th move, she was staring at defeat. After a brief respite, she was again fighting a losing cause on move 37. But it took just three moves — a careless knight hop from Wells ( an aggressive rook maneuver from Bodhana threatening the black king ( and finally an ill-advised side shuffle from the queen ( — to overturn the entire game and led to Wells resigning. 'How on earth did she win this? She must be some kind of magician!' Danny Gormally, the English Chess Federation's expert commentator, reportedly remarked during the live broadcast stream. Bodhana gained 24 rating points during the event and finished joint 26th in the open event, which was remarkable for her age. She could have chosen to play in the age group events and easily swept the titles in her categories like U12. 'She likes to play simple positional moves… very solid player. But she tends to outplay her opponents later in the game. There's a touch of Magnus Carlsen or the great Jose Raul Capablanca about her play,' Gormally said in commentary. Unsurprisingly, Capablanca is one of her favourite players, while Carlsen, who has become a reference point for most young prodigies, only gets mentioned third in her list of favourites. 'I really like Capablanca because of his end games,' she had told The Indian Express last year. 'I also like Judit Polgar and Carlsen.' When asked what she likes about chess, Bodhana, who keeps her replies short and to the point, said: 'I really like that it activates your brain and that it involves strategy and calculation.' Unlike other kids from India, who single-mindedly dedicate themselves to the pursuit of chess, education is a big part of Bodhana's daily routine. She also learnt to play the piano and violin a couple of years ago. But for now, chess has a hold on her imagination. 'I like chess more than playing the piano and violin because there's no grading in piano and in chess you can keep improving,' she said. 'Bodhana is an inspiration to girls. The way she exudes calmness and maturity on the board,' said FM Tim Wall, English Chess Federation's Director of Junior Chess, who oversees the age group categories for the national federation. 'She clearly has a very strong work ethic. She certainly has a very high ceiling.' Wall prophesizes that Bodhana can become a grandmaster 'in three to four years.' If that prophecy comes true, that would be a rapid rise even by chess' lightning-fast standards, where there have been grandmasters at the age of 12. Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
12 hours ago
- First Post
'Tehran' actor John Abraham praises Malayalam veteran Mammootty: 'He plays a politician in a film and you find out he's gay and...'
Tehran has been awaiting its release since 2023. It finally releases on Zee5 during the Independence Day weekend. read more 'Tehran' actor John Abraham has praised Malayalam veteran and legend Mammootty in an interview recently. In an interview with The Indian Express, the actor said, 'That industry is very brave. So, I think as of today, the best films in the country come from the Malayalam film industry. If you ask who my favourite actor is, I would say Mohanlal by light years. I love Meryl Streep also.' Abraham added, 'You look at Mammootty playing a politician and you find out in the film that he is gay. I mean, it's brave for that man to do a film like that.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Tehran's OTT release Tehran has been awaiting its release since 2023. It finally releases on Zee5 during the Independence Day weekend. And in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actor broke his silence on the same. John revealed, 'It's very disheartening. I'm not going to mince my words on it, but it breaks your heart, especially for an actor who always wants to be seen on the big screen. But we all made a very informed decision on that. And the decision was that because of the conflicts and controversies that are happening around internationally.' The actor added, 'Theatres were a little wary of picking up a film that had Iran and Israel in it. We had a choice of either showing the film somewhere or not showing it at all.' On the film's limited audience Zee5 has been gracious and told us they would be our platform. But it also breaks your heart as an actor who only wants to be seen on the big screen. I treat this more like a foreign film in a way. When you will see the film, you will understand that why it will not resonate with a larger audience. It has got a lot of Farsi in it and a lot of Hebrew in it. It's only 1 hour and 50 minutes long. It's got a lot of foreign language in it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
News18
13 hours ago
- News18
‘Why So Complicated?': Anupam Kher Questions Modern Toilet Symbols
Anupam Kher was seen questioning the complex symbols outside male and female toilets to ask why it could not be as simple as it used to be. Veteran actor Anupam Kher got candid on social media as he expressed his confusion about the signs used in public toilets nowadays. Taking to his Instagram handle, the Metro… In Dino, the actor shared a humorous video where he talked about the unusual symbols used in public toilets to indicate male and female. Sharing the video, Kher commented, 'There's one thing that I don't understand these days. To indicate toilets meant for men and women, they add such images or signs that will often confuse you for some time." Anupam Kher's Humorous Questions About Confusing Public Toilet Signs Anupam Kher was seen questioning the complex symbols outside male and female toilets to ask why it could not be as simple as it used to be. 'This is normal in toilets outside restaurants, dubbing theatres and studios. Why can't they be as simple as they used to be before?" Kher questioned. He then proceeded to show examples from a studio's restroom area, where the symbols outside the toilets required a moment of interpretation, rather than being simple and straightforward. In the concluding part of the video, the actor was seen asking why these symbols have grown so much more complicated when the older indicators were simpler and functioned perfectly. Fan Reactions To make his post broadly relatable, Anupam Kher asked the audience in the caption, 'Does this confusion happen to you???" His fans responded favourably to the post right away, as various fans were seen taking to the comment section to completely agree with the problem. One fan wrote, 'haha TRUE." Another fan commented, 'Ha ha ha! 'Absolutely right." Someone else wrote, 'Full support, sir. Some things are better without adding creativity to them. Seedhe Men's/Women's would be much better." Another fan agreed, saying, 'Yes. Very big confusion." On the Work Front Anupam Kher is currently enjoying the wave of appreciation for his directorial project, Tanvi The Great, which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Anupam Kher Studios in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation, the film follows the heartwarming tale of a young autistic girl who aspires to join the Indian Army and fulfil her late father's dream of saluting the flag at Siachen Glacier. The film marks the debut of Shubhangi Dutt, who played the role of Tanvi and features Anupam Kher, Iain Glen, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami and others in prominent roles. Anupam Kher was last seen in Anurag Basu's spiritual sequel, Metro… In Dino alongside Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
