For actor Samara Tijori, playing a serial killer in the new series ‘Daldal’ wasn’t just another role, it was the fulfillment of a lifelong obsession with the criminal mind.

Samara, daughter of popular 1990s star Deepak Tijori, said long before the acting bug bit her, she harboured the ambition of becoming a criminologist, a PTI report from Mumbai stated. ‘Daldal’ started streaming on Prime Video last week.

“I wanted to be a criminologist, before I wanted to act. I did a lot of reading about serial killers. I have read ‘Mindhunter’, ‘Sexual Homicide’ and a lot of these books.

“When I got this audition, I thought, ‘This is it, all your studying is finally going to come together here.’ I was sold, and I left that audition thinking I better get this,” the actor, who has been garnering praise for her standout performance in ‘Daldal’, told PTI in an interview.

In the show, which made its debut on Prime Video on Friday (Jan 30), Samara plays the role of Anita Acharya, a journalist who is later revealed to be a serial killer. The character is shaped by childhood trauma and abuse, which drive her, along with friend Sajid (Aditya Rawal), to target abusers.

The series, based on author Vish Dhamija’s bestselling novel ‘Bhendi Bazaar’, features Bhumi Pednekar in the lead role of DCP Rita Ferreira.

The audition process for ‘Daldal’ was unconventional, said Samara, who made her acting debut with the 2021 Abhishek Bachchan-starrer film, ‘Bob Biswas’.

“They asked me, ‘What is your name, what do you do’, and I had to answer those questions as Anita, which was mind blowing. It just went on and on, they said at some point you have to get angry too,” she said.

After a month of waiting, the actor said when she learnt that she landed the role, she became emotional. “I was at a cafe with a friend, and they said, ‘It’s done.’ I put my phone down, looked at my friend and started crying,” Samara recalled.

“I had a very long gap between what I shot last and this, so I was keen on getting this. Also because it really felt close to me. I don’t know how nice that sounds, but I felt very close to the character,” said Samara, who has been auditioning for acting projects since 2016.

The actor, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Mumbai’s Sophia College, said the emotional weight of the character proved taxing.

“It was mentally exhausting to play the character. Coming out of it was a slow process. This character left a mark; she left something in me in a good way. There was a lot of me that I expressed through her and I really am very happy that I got to play her.” Samara has served as an assistant director on films such as ‘Dishoom’ and ‘Bhoot: Part One – The Haunted Ship’ and worked as an intern with event management company Wizcraft for the 2014 edition of the IIFA awards, held in Tampa Bay, Florida.

“Being behind the camera helps. I learnt a lot of the technicalities, like how a set works, etc and being an AD shaped me as a person,” she said.

On the pressures faced by star kids, Samara said she is aware of the public scrutiny. “The trolling or appreciation happens either way. You’re putting yourself out there, people are going to watch you, and you will get positive or negative feedback. Your safe space should be within you where you’ve done your best, you need to be secure within yourself,” she said.

Going forward, Samara said she wants to do all kinds of roles irrespective of whether it’s on OTT or in films.