“It’s nerve-racking until you find the character’s [rhythm]. The first few days, I wondered, ‘Will I be able to do this? Is this sounding funny?’ It’s difficult to be funny on screen,” she says. Her self-doubt doesn’t show on screen. Instead, we get a hilarious oddball cop, who laughs in the middle of a serious interrogation, or has a witty one-liner up her sleeve. Apte says she was able to pull off these quirks thanks to co-star Rao. “Raj is a generous actor. That laughter or smile came because of him. If he didn’t look that terrified, I wouldn’t have laughed. So, we fed off each other’s [creative instincts].”

Also Read: Vasan Bala: Didn’t take pressure of making it a whodunit

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Her character’s unabashed dishonesty sparked dual feelings in the actor. While Apte was apprehensive about pulling off the remorseless act in a light-handed manner, it was also “liberating” to play an out-and-out devious woman. “Naidu is not just corrupt, but also shameless. She has no remorse or regret. It’s almost the opposite of who I am. I am remorseful even for things that I haven’t done wrong. It is liberating and relaxing because you never experience that side of yours,” laughs the actor, adding that Naidu’s wickedness also challenges filmmakers’ love for holier-than-thou women. “How many women we know around us are absolute thieves! We live in a world where gender doesn’t dictate morality. The truth is everyone is looking out for themselves.”