When Saiyami Kher called Anurag Kashyap to tell him she would take up the film that he had offered her days ago at a film festival, his response was rather unique. “He said, ‘Ab, mera dimag mat kha. This writer called Nihit Bhave has written it. Find him, brainstorm on ideas, and work on it.’ That’s when Nihit and I started working together, and brought Sarita to life. We are both Maharashtrians, but he went over and above, helping me with the lingo,” says the actor, adding that his cues enabled her to pull-off  the role of the protagonist in Choked with the flair that she did.

Among the nominees in the Best Actor — Film category of the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, Kher says she, along with Bhave, also did a look test for the part, on their own accord. “We also roped in my friend’s child, and conducted a photo-shoot together in the get-up. We took the pictures to Anurag, who jumped and danced with joy, because he loved them so much.”